clear writingn!’ #SOCIALtu aMEDIAtio ‘Punc English Guide Useful links A Handbook for Translators, Revisers and Authors of Government Texts TRANSLATING Second edition iting June 2019 d Publications of the Prime ’s O ce 2019:14, eABBREVIATIONS The most valuable of all talents is that Let’s eat, Dad! of never using two when one will do. Let’s eat Dad! Thomas Jefferson

Translation is not a matter of words only: it is A translation that is clumsy or a matter of making intelligible a whole culture. stilted will scream its presence. Anthony Burgess Anonymous

One should not at being possible to understand, Without translation I would be limited but at being impossible to misunderstand. to the borders of my own country. Quintilian Italo Calvino

The letter [text] I have written today is longer than Writing is thinking. To write well is usual because I lacked the time to make it shorter. to think clearly. That's why it's so hard. Blaise Pascal David McCullough

2 Publications of the Prime Minister’s Office 2019:14

English A Handbook for Translators, Revisers and Authors of Government Texts Second edition June 2019

Prime Minister’s Office, Helsinki, Finland 2019 2 Prime Minister’s Office

ISBN: 978-952-287-671-3 Layout: Prime Minister’s Office, Government Administration Department, Publications

Helsinki 2019

ISTÖM ÄR ER P K M K Y I

M I KT LJÖMÄR Painotuotteet Painotuotteet1234 5678 4041-0619

4 Description sheet

Published by Prime Minister’s Office, Finland 28 June 2019

Authors Foreign Languages Unit, Translation and Language Division

Title of publication English Style Guide: A Handbook for Translators, Revisers and Authors of Government Texts

Series and publication number Publications of the Prime Minister’s Office 2019:14

ISBN PDF 978-952-287-671-3 ISSN PDF 2490-1164 URN address http://urn.fi/URN:ISBN:978-952-287-671-3

ISBN print 978-952-287-672-0 ISSN print 2490-0796 Keywords Finnish Government, English style guide, clarity, linguistic differences,government texts, translation, editing, revision Pages 92 Language English

Abstract

This English Style Guide provides recommendations on the use of English in Finnish government texts. It has been drawn up for translators and revisers of such texts and for public officials drafting documents in English.

The guide is based on the European Commission’s English Style Guide, published by the Commission’s Directorate-General for Translation, but the focus is on recommendations and guidelines applicable in the Finnish context.

It is important to ensure consistency among documents. The guide introduces, with practical examples, the main rules and conventions that should be followed when using English in administrative documents within the government sector in Finland.

To improve readability and clarity, use clear and plain language whenever possible.

The guide was drawn up for writers whose mother tongue is not English and for writers with native or near native English require guidance on the practices to be followed.

Publisher Prime Minister’s Office, Finland

Distribution Online version: julkaisut.valtioneuvosto.fi

4 ENGLISH STYLE GUIDE PUBLICATIONS OF THE PRIME MINISTER’S OFFICE 2019:14, FINLAND

Kuvailulehti

Julkaisija Valtioneuvoston kanslia 28.6.2019

Tekijät Käännös- ja kielitoimiala, vieraiden kielten yksikkö

Julkaisun nimi English Style Guide. A Handbook for Translators, Revisers and Authors of Government Texts

Julkaisusarjan nimi ja numero Valtioneuvoston kanslian julkaisuja 2019:14

ISBN PDF 978-952-287-671-3 ISSN PDF 2490-1164 URN-osoite http://urn.fi/URN:ISBN:978-952-287-671-3

ISBN paino 978-952-287-672-0 ISSN paino 2490-0796 Asiasanat Suomen valtionhallinto, englannin kielenhuollon käsikirja, selkeä kieli, kielten väliset erot, valtionhallinnon tekstit, kääntäminen, kielentarkastus Sivumäärä 92 Kieli englanti

Tiivistelmä

Tämä englannin kielenhuollon käsikirja tarjoaa suosituksia, jotka koskevat englannin kielen käyttöä Suomen valtionhallinnossa. Opas on suunnattu kääntäjille ja kielentarkastajille sekä henkilöille, jotka laativat tekstejä suoraan englanniksi.

Käsikirja perustuu Euroopan komission käännöstoimen pääosaston julkaisemaan englannin kielenhuollon oppaaseen, mutta keskittyy suosituksiin ja ohjeisiin, jotka soveltuvat Suomen oloihin.

Valtionhallinnon englanninkielisessä viestinnässä on tärkeää, että teksteissä käytetään sovittuja termejä ja ilmaisutapoja. Keskeisimmät säännöt ja menettelytavat, joita näissä englanninkielisissä asiakirjoissa tulisi soveltaa, esitetään käytännön esimerkkien avulla.

Yleisesti toivotaan, että teksteissä otettaisiin huomioon lukijakunta ja noudatettaisiin selkeää kieltä.

Opas on suunnattu henkilöille, joiden äidinkieli ei ole englanti sekä käytännön ohjeeksi englantia äidinkielenään tai toisena kielenään puhuville henkilöille.

Kustantaja Valtioneuvoston kanslia

Julkaisun jakelu Sähköinen versio: julkaisut.valtioneuvosto.fi

6 Presentationsblad

Utgivare Statsrådets kansli 28.6.2019

Författare Översättnings- och språksektorn, enheten för främmande språk

Publikationens titel English Style Guide. A Handbook for Translators, Revisers and Authors of Government Texts

Publikationsseriens namn och Statsrådets kanslis publikationer 2019:14 nummer

ISBN PDF 978-952-287-671-3 ISSN PDF 2490-1164 URN-adress http://urn.fi/URN:ISBN:978-952-287-671-3

ISBN tryck 978-952-287-672-0 ISSN tryck 2490-0796 Nyckelord  statsförvaltning, engelska skrivregler, klarspråk, skillnader mellan språk, statsförvaltningens texter, översättning, språkgranskning Sidantal 92 Språk engelska

Referat

Den här handboken erbjuder rekommendationer för användningen av engelska i statsförvaltningens texter. Handboken riktar sig till översättare, granskare och personer som skriver texter på engelska i sitt arbete.

Handboken utgår från Europeiska kommissionens English Style Guide som ges ut av generaldirektoratet för översättning, men fokus ligger på rekommendationer och anvisningar som behövs för finländska förhållanden.

Det är viktigt att termer och uttryck används konsekvent i statsförvaltningens kommunikation. De viktigaste reglerna och skrivkonventionerna som bör följas i statsförvaltningens texter på engelska presenteras med hjälp av praktiska exempel.

Klarspråk och målgruppsanpassning rekommenderas i alla sammanhang.

Handboken är riktad till personer som inte har engelska som modersmål, men innehåller också praktiska riktlinjer för skribenter med engelska som första- eller andraspråk.

Förläggare Statsrådets kansli

Distribution Elektronisk version: julkaisut.valtioneuvosto.fi

6 ENGLISH STYLE GUIDE PUBLICATIONS OF THE PRIME MINISTER’S OFFICE 2019:14, FINLAND

8 ENGLISH STYLE GUIDE PUBLICATIONS OF THE PRIME MINISTER’S OFFICE 2019:14, FINLAND ENGLISH STYLE GUIDE PUBLICATIONS OF THE PRIME MINISTER’S OFFICE 2019:14, FINLAND

CONTENTS

QUICK REFERENCE GUIDE ...... 11 11 LEGAL LANGUAGE ...... 52

FOREWORD...... 15 12 CORRESPONDENCE ...... 53

KEY POINTS...... 16 13 CITATIONS AND REFERENCES ...... 54

1 ...... 17 14 GENDER-NEUTRAL AND BIAS-FREE LANGUAGE ...... 55

2 SPELLING...... 24 15 TEXT COHESION AND CLARITY...... 57

3 CAPITALISATION ...... 26 16 SPEECHES...... 60

4 AND ...... 28 17 TRANSLATING PRESS RELEASES...... 61

5 NUMBERS ...... 36 18 SOCIAL MEDIA AND VIDEO TEXTS ...... 65

6 CURRENCIES, UNITS AND SYMBOLS...... 41 19 GOVERNMENT AND ADMINISTRATION ...... 67

7 ...... 44 20 TOPICAL ...... 73

8 FOREIGN WORDS AND PHRASES...... 48 21 FREQUENTLY MISUSED OR OVERUSED...... 75

9 PARTS OF SPEECH ...... 49 22 USEFUL LINKS...... 81

10 LISTS...... 51 INDEX ...... 85

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10 ENGLISH STYLE GUIDE PUBLICATIONS OF THE PRIME MINISTER’S OFFICE 2019:14, FINLAND ENGLISH STYLE GUIDE PUBLICATIONS OF THE PRIME MINISTER’S OFFICE 2019:14, FINLAND

QUICK REFERENCE GUIDE

Unless otherwise indicated, use the recommendations of the European This Quick Reference Guide provides an easily accessible summary of Commission’s English Style Guide: common style issues. It is not intended to be definitive or exhaustive. https://ec.europa.eu/info/files/english-resources-english-style-guide_en Consult the full English Style Guide for further information and for anything not covered in this summary.

Language variant and spelling Default is . Unless otherwise noted in this style guide, use the firstspelling found in Oxford Dictionaries. Always use the ‘s’ spelling in words such as organise (NOT organize), except in the names of organisations that use the ‘z’ form.

Formatting When translating follow the formatting of the original whenever possible, unless there is good reason to do otherwise.

Dates and times Wednesday 15 June 2019 (NOT June 15, 2019) Use the 24-hour clock: The meeting starts at 9.15; the dinner is at 18.00. DO NOT use the Finnish week number system. Write out the dates instead. 1994–1996, 1998–2012, 2010s (NOT 2010’s) “2000-luvulla” can mean the century or the first decade; avoid using ‘2000s’ whenever a more precise expression exists.

Numbers and ranges 1,000.00 For ranges, use the ‘en’ dash (–) and close up the numbers: 10–15, 21.56–21.72.

Currencies USD 500, EUR 50 million In tables or other contexts where is constrained, ‘million’ and ‘billion’ may be abbreviated and currency symbols used: €2.3 mill., $1.5 bn, EUR 50 mill. DO NOT use MEUR, mio, bio, k, or similar abbreviations.

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Mathematical symbols and Use a non-breaking space (Ctrl + Shift + Space) between a number and mathematical symbol or units of measurement unit of measurement: 500 m; 10 ÷ 2 = 5; 2 x 16 = 32.

. Use superscript and subscript where appropriate after firstspelling out if necessary: m³, CO2 The per cent sign is closed up to the number: 31.5% (NOT 31.5 %).

Capitalisation Capitalise job titles, department names, etc.: Ministerial Adviser (NOT Advisor), Economics Department, State of Finland, the Government’s decision (BUT state funding, government expenditure). Use full names of ministries: Ministry of Economic Affairs and Employment( NOT MEAE) but note that the Ministry for Foreign Affairs is also known as the Foreign Ministry. or initialisms are generally capitalised, but not always when written out in full: non-governmental organisation (NGO); gross domestic product (GDP); BUT United Nations (UN). NOTE: generally written without full stops: UK, UN, USA are generally written without full stops. internet (NOT Internet)

Titles and honorary titles DO NOT use Mr or Ms with titles. As a rule, avoid using them in most contexts. If academic titles are not of particular importance, do not include them. When several titles are given – oikeustieteen maisteri, kansanedustaja, opetusneuvos Matti Meikäläinen – usually only one will do, at least in press releases. DO NOT translate Finnish honorary titles: The Finnish honorary title ‘liikenneneuvos’ was granted to vuorineuvos Matti Meikäläinen.

Names of organisations, If possible, check usage from the organisation’s website or official documents: companies and people Confederation of Finnish Industries (EK). If no English translation exists, it may be appropriate to use a short description when first introducing the organisation or document, then use the Finnish : Metsähallitus, the agency governing the use of state-owned land, ... For registered English names of Finnish companies, consult https://www.ytj.fi/en/index.html. Foreign proper names are sometimes spelled differently in English and in Finnish: FI: Aleksei Uljukajev EN: Alexei Ulyukayev

12 ENGLISH STYLE GUIDE PUBLICATIONS OF THE PRIME MINISTER’S OFFICE 2019:14, FINLAND ENGLISH STYLE GUIDE PUBLICATIONS OF THE PRIME MINISTER’S OFFICE 2019:14, FINLAND

Geographical names When the name of a Finnish geographical feature includes ‘järvi’, ‘joki’ , etc., the following form is recommended: FI: Kuusijärvi EN: Lake Kuusijärvi Adjectival forms of compass points are not usually capitalised: eastern , northern Finland.

Use capitalisation if they form part of a proper name, an administrative or political unit or a distinct regional entity: East Indies, Eastern Europe, South Ostrobothnia.

Contact details and Email address formatting: [email protected] other information FI: Hallitusneuvos Tiina Turtiainen EN: Tiina Turtiainen, Senior Ministerial Adviser Remember to add the country in phone number: +358 50 111 2222. FI: Postilokero EN: PO Box (NOT POB or P.O. Box) FI: Lisätietoja: EN: Inquiries: NOT further information, additional information BUT FI: Lisätietoja ministerin ohjelmasta: EN: More information about the Minister’s programme: EN: Read more:

Legislation, names of acts The main source for translations of specific pieces of legislation isFinlex . The multilingual Glossary of Legislative and decrees Terms (Lainsäädäntösanasto under Glossaries and Guidance, Prime Minister’s Office, at http://vnk.fi/kaannos-ja- kielipalvelut/sanastot) also provides useful guidance. The main source for EU legislation is EUR-Lex. FI: pykälä EN: section (NOT §)

Compound words and hyphenation DO NOT hyphenate the following: daycare, healthcare, database, wellbeing, worldwide, jobseeker, cooperation, coordination, eGovernment, email, website, online, policymaker BUT e-services, e-insurance, e-invoice, decision-maker NOTE: sometimes the use of a can result in a different meaning, e.g.re-sign vs resign; re-cover vs recover.

Quotations For direct speech, use “double quotes”, otherwise use ‘single quotes’.

12 13 14 ENGLISH STYLE GUIDE PUBLICATIONS OF THE PRIME MINISTER’S OFFICE 2019:14, FINLAND

FOREWORD

This English Style Guide sets out recommendations on the use of English in The first edition of the English Style Guide was published in March 2017. Finnish government texts. It was compiled to provide guidelines for drafting It has subsequently been revised, enlarged and updated and is now published documents in English and translating into English, and for ensuring a measure as the second edition. The 2017 guide wholly superseded its precursor, of consistency among such documents. It introduces, with practical examples, the Government Style Guide, which was published online by the Prime the main rules and conventions that should be followed when using English in Minister’s Office in 2008. administrative and other documents within the government sector in Finland. The guide is by no means exhaustive nor can it cover all linguistic or cultural Should you require further assistance, please contact us by email: variations that may apply to particular documents or circumstances. [email protected].

We recommend the use of plain language when possible. Pay attention to We also welcome any suggestions for revision or additions. readability and clarity. In practice this may mean splitting long sentences into two, using verbs instead of nouns and avoiding words, etc. Remember that the readership may include people whose mother tongue is not English. English Style Guide team This guide is based on the European Commission’s English Style Guide, June 2019 published by the Commission’s Directorate-General for Translation. Rather than replicate much of its very thorough content and detailed advice, this guide instead restricts itself to recommendations on areas that we feel are applicable to the Finnish context and of particular relevance in view of present practice and past experience. In some cases these recommendations differ from the advice in the Commission’s guide. In matters not covered in this guide, you should refer to the Commission’s guide.

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KEY POINTS

1. Unless otherwise indicated, use the recommendations of the European Commission’s English Style Guide (https://ec.europa.eu/info/sites/info/files/styleguide_english_dgt_en.pdf).

2. Use British English.

3. Essential sources of reference:

−− Multilingual Finnish Government Termbank Valter: https://mot.kielikone.fi/mot/valter/netmot.exe?UI=fi80 −− Multilingual Glossary of Legislative Terms: http://www.finlex.fi/en/laki/kaannokset/ −− Guide to Translating Finnish Statutes into English and Treaties into Finnish: http://julkaisut.valtioneuvosto.fi/handle/10024/79776 −− Glossaries and Guidance, Prime Minister’s Office:https://vnk.fi/kaannos-ja-kielipalvelut/sanastot

4. Other sources:

−− Terminology Service in the Prime Minister’s Office:[email protected] or [email protected] −− Translation memories listed under Glossaries and Guidance, as above. (Please note that the material in the memories may not always reflect the current advice in this English Style Guide. The English Style Guide always takes precedence.)

5. Note that the words in bold in this Style Guide are highlighted in this way for emphasis; the highlighting does not represent an instruction to write these words in bold.

6. The recommendations and advice in this guide are meant to improve readability and clarity. Always use your discretion when applying these recommendations in your work.

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1 PUNCTUATION

Changes often occur in language over time, and this applies to the use to ensure readability for a wide readership, including non-native speakers, of punctuation and grammatical rules in English as much as to terms and and to be consistent within a document. phrases. The advice in this guide is considered current and appropriate. Unless otherwise indicated, use the recommendations of the European Remember, too, that punctuation rules are not the same in English as Commission’s English Style Guide, and use British English. in Finnish. Use discretion in how you apply the rules. The key aim is

Full stop Truncations (where the end of the is deleted) Co., Art., Chap. are followed by a . Contractions (in which the middle of the word Dr, Ms, Ltd is removed) are not followed by a full stop.

Colon The word following a is not capitalised unless The firing died down as night fell: the parties gathered it is a proper noun or in a heading or title or to discuss the situation, the townspeople breathed introducing a quotation. a sigh of relief and the firefighters collected all their gear. Colons should be closed up to the preceding word, Finland: Land of a Thousand Lakes letter or number. He asked: “What should I do?”

Semicolon A semicolon instead of a comma is used to combine The rule is recommended; however, it is not compulsory. two sentences into one when there is no linking conjunction. Semicolons should be used to separate items in The meeting was attended by Professor Johnson, a series that are long and complex or that involve University of Bristol, ; Dr Mäkinen, internal punctuation, for the sake of clarity. University of Helsinki, Finland; and Dr Andersson, Stockholm University, .

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Comma Comma rules in English are not the same or as strict Top stories: World leaders at Mandela tribute, Obama as in Finnish. For the sake of clarity and readability, Castro handshake and same-sex date set ... it is sometimes justified to deviate from the rules for comma use. Top stories: World leaders at Mandela tribute, Obama Castro handshake, and same-sex marriage date set ...

In a series, a comma should only be used before I love my parents, Gaga and Humpty Dumpty. the final item if it helps to clarify the sense. Its use I love my parents, Lady Gaga, and Humpty Dumpty. or omission is sometimes critical to the meaning of a sentence.

Comma use with ‘for example’. When the rains fail and drought , the future of the millions of farmers who are practising subsistence farming and who depend on rain, for example, is put in jeopardy. Farmers practising subsistence farming face many hardships, for example drought and flooding.

Comma use with ‘eli’. FI: Suomen talouden tuotanto eli bruttokansantuote on laskenut viimeiset kaksi vuotta. EN: Output, that is GDP, has decreased in Finland The relative pronoun ‘that’ can be used (instead of for the past two years. ‘which’ or ‘who’) in defining relative clauses, but not in non-defining relative clauses (which are preceded After the storm the herders were not able to find by a comma). the cows that/which were in the valley before the storm began.

During the roundup the herders were able to find all the cows, which were in the valley at the time the roundup began.

Comma use in quoted speech. “I have discussed the matter,” said the Prime Minister. (NOT “I have discussed the matter”, said the Prime Minister.)

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Dashes Use an ‘en’ dash for ranges and to join the names of Monday–Friday two or more places or concepts where both parts are September–December equal in nature. public–private partnerships Kymijoki–Gulf of Finland River Basin District (Ctrl + - on the numeric keypad) the –Russia border the Science–Policy Platform

Where Finnish sometimes uses a dash to join two FI: Kustannusten nousu jatkuu – työttömyys laskee ideas into a single heading, a comma or some other EN: Costs continue to rise, unemployment falls solution may be more appropriate in English.

A long or ‘em’ dash (Alt + Ctrl + - on the numeric Stefan has one great quality – he speaks German keypad) emphasises an interruption, leads to fluently. an afterthought or introduces a specific explanation. It is less formal than a colon and gives more attention to what follows. FI: Tarkastaja havaitsi, että kyseinen henkilö eli vuokralainen oli toiminut kiinteistön omistajan edustajana. EN: The inspector noticed that this person – the tenant − had acted as the representative of the property owner.

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Hyphen Used with various prefixes and suffixes. sub-Saharan , a shell-like substance, ex-husband, non-industrial, president-elect

Used when fractions are adjectival but not when There was a two-thirds increase in the use of electronic they are nouns. services. Three quarters of the conference room was empty.

When two numbers are adjacent in examples of 90 fifty-gram weights the type shown, spell out one of them. NOT 90 50-gram weights

Used with words and compound cure-all, has-been, well-established rules, environment- modifiers where it is important to avoid ambiguity. friendly business, ill-advised action, 4-year-old child, 10-member group, person-year, one-stop shop, ground-breaking, Wi-Fi, know-how, passer-by

NOTE: e-services, e-insurance, e-invoice, decision-maker, decision-making, night-time

DO NOT hyphenate the following: daycare, healthcare, wellbeing, database, dataset, worldwide, jobseeker, jobseeking, cooperation, coordination, eGovernment, email, website, online, policymaker, policymaking, fulltime, daytime, login (BUT to log in), startup, frontpage, homepage, transatlantic

BUT: small and medium-sized enterprises human rights-based approach technical education-based

NOTE: FI: 13–17 -vuotiaat EN: those aged 13–17 EN: people between the ages of 50 and 75

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NOTE: FI: Laina- tai sijoitusmuotoinen joukkorahoitus EN: Loan-based or investment-based crowdfunding

NOT Loan- or investment-based crowdfunding

An up-to-date guide is a guide that is up to date. This should be taken into account in the decision- making procedure. (This should be taken into account in the decision- making.)

Hyphens are not used with adverbial elements carefully prepared management plan ending in -ly. environmentally friendly business

NOTE: sometimes the use of a hyphen can result re-sign vs resign in a different meaning. re-cover vs recover re- vs recount

The street was full of little used cars. vs The street was full of little-used cars. NOTE: in many cases, compound words start out as two separate words but, over time, become hyphenated and are eventually joined together. E.g. data base > data-base > database.

Hyphenation Do not use automatic hyphenation nor use to break words at the end of a line.

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Brackets Use brackets to enclose abbreviations; write out Target 14.7 calls for increasing economic benefits to the term in full at first. Small Island Developing States (SIDS). Brackets can be used instead of commas to add Metsähallitus (a state-run enterprise) is part of explanatory information the administrative branch of the Ministry of Agriculture and Forestry. When the information in parentheses ends with When preparing the plans, the authorities must consult a closing bracket, remember to include the final the people likely to be affected (see part 2(b)). bracket. In references to legal sources, brackets are closed up Article 5(3)(a) to the section and paragraph number.

Question mark A question mark is used after a direct question What will be the effect on trade in the coming year? but not in indirect speech or after a request or This raises the question of how trade will be affected instruction. next year. Would you please sign the application and submit it by .

Exclamation mark An exclamation mark is rarely used in formal texts It is a great honour to stand in one of Finland’s most in English. It is always closed up to the preceding prestigious rooms! word, letter or number. FI: Tästä olen erityisen iloinen: luvassa on aitoa paikallista väriä ja elämystä, monta hyvää makua maistettavaksi ja tarinaa kuultavaksi! EN: I am particularly happy about this opportunity for you to enjoy genuine local colour and experiences, taste many exciting flavours and hear some great stories. It may sometimes be used for exclamatory words, FI: Tervetuloa! phrases or sentences in texts that directly address the EN: See you there! audience, such as speeches, to signal to the speaker EN: Welcome to Finland! that greater emphasis is needed. EN: Hello everyone, and welcome! NOTE: ’Welcome’ alone does not always work. FI: Tervetuloa keskustelemaan aiheesta Sometimes when an exclamation mark is used in (iltatilaisuuteen kokouksen jälkeen)! Finnish, it is not necessary in English. EN: We are looking forward to further discussing these points with you (at the reception this evening). NOT Welcome to discuss these points!

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Quotation marks Use single quotation marks (‘ ’) except in quoted The American government favours ‘a two-way street speech (“”). However, use double quotation marks in arms procurement’. in texts aimed at an American audience.

When quoted speech occurs in a sentence or phrase “The Prime Minister’s response was ‘No comment’.” that is itself already within double quotation marks, the quoted speech should be in single quotation marks.

NOTE: the Finnish use of a dash (—) to introduce FI: – Minulla on unelma, sanoi Martin Luther . direct speech is not used at all in English. Use EN: “I have a dream,” said Martin Luther King. quotation marks instead. (NOT “I have a dream”, said Martin Luther King.)

If quoted speech is longer than one paragraph, Minister XX said: “Today’s meeting went well. Following all but the last paragraph end with no quotation the weekend break, the next step will be to review marks. However, if the direct speech that is quoted matters at the start of the week. The Committee will is long, it may be better to indent it. then announce its conclusions on Thursday. “On other matters, next Monday we shall reconvene to discuss the housing shortage and the financial crisis.”

Forward The forward slash can be ambiguous as it is not This can refer to the clause/sentence. always clear whether it means ‘and’ or ‘or’. If it is used, there are no spaces on either side.

With unit measurements use only one such slash. 9 kg/ha per year (NOT 9 kg/ha/yr)

Apostrophe Do not use an in numerical references 1990s (NOT 1990’s) to decades or centuries.

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2 SPELLING

Unless otherwise indicated, use the recommendations of the European Commission’s English Style Guide, and use British English.

Spelling conventions Default is British English. Unless otherwise noted Common examples include: in this style guide, use the firstspelling found centre (NOT center) in Oxford Dictionaries. travelled (NOT traveled) signalling (NOT signaling) behaviour (NOT behavior) litre (NOT liter) labour (NOT labor)

Always use the ‘s' spelling in words such as organise Examples: analyse, maximise, minimise, recognise; (NOT organize), except where an organisation itself Organization for Security and Co-operation in Europe uses the ‘z’ form.

For some differences between British and , consult Oxford Dictionaries’ British and American Spelling and British and American Terms.

Programme/program Always use ‘programme’ except when referring to computer programs.

Biannual/biennial ‘Biannual’ means twice a year and ‘biennial’ means every two years, but the terms are often confused. If the meaning is not clear from the context, use alternatives such as ‘twice-yearly’ (instead of ‘biannual’) or ‘two-yearly’ (instead of ‘biennial’) or clarify what you mean.

24 ENGLISH STYLE GUIDE PUBLICATIONS OF THE PRIME MINISTER’S OFFICE 2019:14, FINLAND

Internet internet (NOT Internet)

Arctic Capitalise ‘Arctic’ when referring specifically to FI: Arktis the geographical region known as the Arctic. EN: Arctic Otherwise, it is generally written in lower case FI: Ilmastonmuutos vaatii uusia ratkaisuja arktisella when used as an , e.g. arctic clothing, alueella. arctic . EN: Climate change calls for new solutions in the Arctic.

Tricky plurals Director General, Directors General or Government, Heads of State or Government

Latin plurals appendix, appendices index, indexes criterion, criteria (NOT criteria is, but criteria are) curriculum, curricula forum, forums (NOT fora) referendum/referendums or referenda

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3 CAPITALISATION

Unless otherwise indicated, use the recommendations of the European Commission’s English Style Guide, and use British English.

Titles of documents Use title case for titles, i.e. capitalise the first letter Finnish Weather: Forecasting and Models of the first word, proper nouns and main words but Action Plan for the Implementation of Tax Reform and not prepositions, conjunctions and articles. Note, Other Reforms in the Strategic Government Programme capitalisation. for 2014–2018 The Action Plan includes ...

Depending on the context, in English a descriptive Action plan for increasing agricultural subsidies … title may be sufficient with the Finnish title in The action plan includes ... brackets. Preferably consult the Foreign Languages Unit at the Prime Minister’s Office ([email protected]).

For long titles, do not capitalise where these read more Final report of the Joint FAO/EC working party on forest like a description than a title. EU directives usually have and statistics long titles that are not capitalised (although the word ‘Directive’ is capitalised).

For translations of Finnish acts and decrees, the English FI: Laki ammattipätevyyden tunnustamisesta title is capitalised and the is not EN: Act on the Recognition of Professional Qualifications mentioned. Many of them can be found on Finlex (https://www.finlex.fi/en/laki/kaannokset/). If not, consult the Foreign Languages Unit at the Prime Minister’s Office ([email protected]).

Reference to a numbered article in EU As laid down in Article 3 ... is capitalised.

Seasons Do not capitalise the names of seasons. spring, summer, autumn, winter

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Ministries and Ministers Capitalise the names of ministries, departments, etc. FI: Liikenne- ja viestintäministeriö Working group names are not usually capitalised. EN: Ministry of Transport and Communications (NOT MTC)

In contrast to the European Commission’s English The Ministry of the Interior will publish the report in Style Guide, we maintain capitalisation for reference October. Before this, the Ministry plans to … back to the names of organisations.

Use lower case for the word ‘minister’ when used In addition, the ministers will discuss the … in a general sense, e.g. referring to an event where On the second day of the visit, Minister Toivakka several ministers from different countries will be will have meetings with her Austrian counterpart. meeting. The Minister will also …

Jäsenvaltiot Always consult the organisation’s website. EU Member States NATO member countries UN Member States UN non-member States Arctic States

The EEA consists of the EU Member States plus three FI: Euroopan talousalue, ETA/Eta EEA EFTA States (, Liechtenstein and ). EN: European Economic Area, EEA Collectively they are referred to as the EEA countries. To avoid confusion with EU Member States, do not use ‘EEA Member States’ or ‘EEA member states’, as these might easily become abbreviated in the text by dropping the EEA. The member states of the Arctic Council are referred to as the Arctic States.

Capitalisation of names Capitalise the names of political parties, including FI: Kokoomus the word ‘party’. EN: National Coalition Party Capitalise proprietary names.

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4 NAMES AND TITLES

Unless otherwise indicated, use the recommendations of the European Commission’s English Style Guide, and use British English.

Honorifics If gender needs to be indicated in conjunction with NOT Mr., Ms., Mrs. a person’s name, use Mr or Ms (the use of Mrs depends on her personal choice). Example of personal choice: However, as a rule, do not use these . FI: Presidentti Sauli Niinistö ja rouva Jenni Haukio EN: President Sauli Niinistö and Mrs Jenni Haukio

Organisations, Names of organisations and administrative units FI: Tehtävien kokoamisen myötä aluehallintovirastot administrative units should normally have capitals. The same ja Valvira päättävät toimintansa. applies to job titles and titles of official positions. EN: As a result of the transfer of these duties to the new agency, the Regional State Administrative Agencies and the National Supervisory Authority for Welfare and Health will be abolished.

Job titles Job titles are normally capitalised. Capitalisation FI: ”Näillä toimenpiteillä tuetaan työllisyyttä ja also applies in the case of plurals, except where tuottavuuden kasvua pidemmällä aikavälillä”, the reference is general, including in names of totesi ylijohtaja. public officials, even if the person’s name does EN: “These measures will support employment not appear with the title. and productivity growth in the longer run,” said the Director General.

FI: Kesäkuun loppuun saakka vt. kansliapäällikkönä toimii pelastusylijohtaja XXXX. EN: Until the end of June, the Acting Permanent Secretary is XXXX, Director General for …

NOTE: in EU and UN contexts: Director-General NOTE: Directors-General; Directorates-General

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Academic degree Do not include, especially in press releases, FI: Ministeri X on määrännyt oikeustieteen unless it is of particular importance to the text. kandidaatti, varatuomari Sanna Suomalaisen yksikön erityisasiantuntijaksi. EN: Minister X, has assigned Sanna Suomalainen, of , to serve as Senior Specialist.

Finnish honorary titles Do not translate these, use the Finnish title instead. FI: Matti Meikäläiselle myönnettiin liikenneneuvoksen arvonimi. EN: The Finnish honorary title ‘liikenneneuvos’ was granted to Matti Meikäläinen.

NOTE: Sometimes what looks like an honorary title is in fact a job title with its own English translation. Consult Virkanimikkeiden kääntäminen englanniksi under Glossaries and Guidance, Prime Minister’s Office at http://vnk.fi/kaannos-ja-kielipalvelut/sanastot.

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-neuvos The preferred English equivalent of Finnish job titles FI: Hallitusneuvos ending in -neuvos is ‘Senior Ministerial Adviser’. If EN: Senior Ministerial Adviser necessary, the ministry, department or unit or field FI: Maatalousneuvos of expertise can be added after the title. EN: Senior Ministerial Adviser, Ministry of Agriculture and Forestry If the holder of a ‘-neuvos’ title serves as head of unit or FI: Opetusneuvos department, a descriptive title can be used, e.g. ‘Head/ EN: Senior Ministerial Adviser, Department for Higher Director of X Unit’ or ‘Director of Legislative Affairs’. Education FI: Finanssineuvos EN: Senior Ministerial Adviser, Financial Affairs FI: Lainsäädäntöneuvos EN: Senior Ministerial Adviser, Legislative Affairs FI: Liikuntaneuvos EN: Senior Ministerial Adviser, Sport and Physical Activity FI: Kalastusneuvos EN: Senior Ministerial Adviser, Fisheries FI: Ympäristöneuvos EN: Senior Environmental Adviser Diplomatic titles incorporating ‘-neuvos’ are not FI: lähetystöneuvos honorary titles and should be translated. EN: Counsellor FI: lehdistöneuvos EN: Counsellor, Press and Cultural Affairs When a ‘lähetystöneuvos’ returns to the Ministry for Foreign Affairs from the diplomatic service, the job title FI: kaupallinen neuvos remains ‘lähetystöneuvos’ (‘Counsellor’). A Counsellor EN: Commercial Counsellor for Foreign Affairs who has served as an FI: ulkoasiainneuvos (head of mission abroad) may use the title Ambassador EN: Counsellor for Foreign Affairs also in Finland. However, this depends on the position in the Foreign Ministry. For job titles, it is always advisable FI: ministerineuvos to consult the Foreign Ministry’s website. If in doubt, EN: Minister-Counsellor please contact the Foreign Languages Unit at the Prime Minister’s Office ([email protected]).

See https://www.finlex.fi/fi/laki/ ajantasa/2000/20000204

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Geographical names Differences between Finnish and English spellings FI: Afganistan of country and city names. EN: Afghanistan FI: Ahvenanmaa EN: Åland (administrative area) Consult Kotus for a full list of country names at http://kaino.kotus.fi/landsnamn/index.php?=en FI: Ahvenanmaan itsehallintoalue EN: autonomous region of Åland NOTE: Åland Islands (geographical designation) FI: Alankomaat, Hollanti EN: the Netherlands (in text) EN: Netherlands (in a list) NOT The Netherlands FI: Bosnia ja Hertsegovina (Bosnia-Hertsegovina may also be used) EN: Bosnia and Herzegovina NOT Bosnia-Herzegovina FI: Bryssel EN: Brussels NOTE: The singular verb is used: FI: Filippiinit EN: Philippines “... the Netherlands is a country that ...” EN: the Philippines (in text) “... the Philippines is one of the largest archipelago FI: Firenze nations.” EN: Florence FI: Geneve EN: Geneva FI: Genova EN: Genoa NOTE: The British Embassy in The Hague manages FI: Haag the UK government’s relations with the Netherlands. EN: The Hague FI: Hongkong EN: Hong Kong

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Geographical names, FI: Ison-Britannian ja Pohjois-Irlannin yhdistynyt continued kuningaskunta (abbreviated to Yhdistynyt kuningaskunta) EN: United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern (abbreviated to United Kingdom or UK) FI: Kazakstan EN: Kazakhstan FI: Kirgisia EN: Kyrgyzstan FI: Kongon demokraattinen tasavalta (Kinshasa) EN: Democratic of the Congo EN: the Congo or the DRC (short forms or when space is limited) FI: Kongo (Brazzaville) EN: Republic of the Congo FI: Lissabon EN: Lisbon FI: Luxemburg EN: (Grand Duchy of) (country) FI: Luxembourg/Luxemburg EN: Luxembourg (city) FI: Pohjois-Makedonia (entinen Jugoslavian tasavalta Makedonia) EN: North Macedonia (former Macedonia, Former Yugoslav Republic of Macedonia, FYROM) FI: Lähi-itä EN: Middle East NOT Near East FI: Marokko EN: Morocco FI: Meksiko EN: Mexico (country name) EN: Mexico City (capital city)

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Geographical names, FI: Nizza continued EN: Nice NOTE: The Finnish Ministry for Foreign Affairs FI: Palestiinalaisalue (and the UN) refers to ‘the Palestinian territory’ EN: the Palestinian territory in the singular. FI: Peking, Beijing EN: Beijing FI: Petroskoi EN: Petrozavodsk FI: Pietari EN: St Petersburg NOT Saint Petersburg or St. Petersburg FI: Pyhä istuin EN: the Holy See FI: Tšekki, Tšekin tasavalta EN: the Czech Republic (official; generally use this version) EN: Czech Republic (in a list) EN: Czechia FI: Uumaja EN: Umeå FI: Vatikaani EN: Vatican City NOTE: Vatican City State can be shortened to FI: Vatikaanivaltio Vatican City or the Vatican. EN: Vatican City State A Vatican citizen (citizen of Vatican City State) FI: Venetsia EN: Venice FI: Viipuri EN: Vyborg

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Baltic States Except in the special case of the three Baltic States, Baltic States (, Lithuania, Estonia) write ‘states’ and ‘countries’ in lower case when otherwise: the meaning is countries in the Baltic Sea region. Baltic states, Baltic Sea states or Baltic Sea countries or Baltic countries NOT ‘the Baltics’ in government texts

Nordic countries FI: Pohjoismaat EN: the Nordic countries NOT the Nordics in government texts

United Kingdom/Great Britain In government texts, ‘Britannia’ and ‘Iso-Britannia’ FI: Brysselissä perjantaina 15. joulukuuta are translated the same way as ‘Yhdistynyt kokoontuneet 27 EU-maan johtajat päättivät kuningaskunta’ (= ‘the United Kingdom ’or ‘the UK’), Britannian eroneuvotteluiden toisen vaiheen if that is the entity being referred to. käynnistämisestä. EN: In their meeting in Brussels on Friday 15 December, the leaders of the EU-27 Member States decided that NOTE: The UK is made up of Great Britain and the negotiations on the United Kingdom’s exit from Northern Ireland. the can proceed to their second phase.

‘Britain’/‘Great Britain’ = England, Scotland and Wales ‘United Kingdom’ = England, Scotland, Wales and Northern Ireland (‘United Kingdom’ stands for ‘United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland’)

NOTE: Briton, British citizen (referring to the citizens of the UK)

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Finnish place names When the name of a Finnish geographical feature FI: Kuusijärvi includes ‘järvi’, ‘joki’, etc., follow the example. EN: Lake Kuusijärvi FI: Kemijoki EN: the River Kemijoki, Kemijoki river For English names of Finnish administrative areas, FI: Lahti consult the website of the body in question. EN: the City of Lahti FI: Sipoo EN: the Municipality of Sipoo The is used if the municipality is FI: Kemiö bilingual and the majority of its inhabitants speak EN: Kimito Swedish. For advice on this, see https://www.kotus.fi/julkaisut/nimijulkaisut/ ruotsinkieliset_kuntien_nimet http://www.kielitoimistonohjepankki.fi/haku/ kunnannimet/ohje/707

Compass points Compass points and adjectival forms are not usually eastern Europe, northern Finland, , capitalised. northern , northwest Karelia, north Cyprus Rain is forecast for London and the southeast. Use capitalisation if the compass point is part of South Africa, Northern Ireland, South Ostrobothnia, a proper name, an administrative or political unit Western Balkans or a distinct regional entity.

Write the quarters of the compass as one word, northeast, northwest, southeast, southwest unless a region, organisation or administrative unit spells the term differently.

When used in a political or cultural sense, The South East is an administrative region of England. these words are frequently capitalised. Welcome aboard the North East Expedition, where classic European capitals meet stunning natural landscapes . . . East Indies, Eastern Europe Compass bearings are abbreviated without full stops. 54° E, NW, SE

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5 NUMBERS

Unless otherwise indicated, use the recommendations of the European Commission’s English Style Guide, and use British English.

Writing out numbers As a rule, write out low numbers (up to nine) in words After the meeting, 16 delegations held a press conference and larger numbers (10 and above) in figures. Do not in three languages. start a sentence with a figure (except in itemised lists); write the number out in full or reformulate the sentence.

Avoid starting a sentence with the year, except FI: 20 kisaan osallistuneista sadasta osallistujasta in itemised lists. joutui keskeyttämään kuumuuden ja kosteuden takia EN: Twenty out of the 100 participants in the race were unable to finish because of the heat and humidity. NOT 20 out of the 100 participants in the race . . . FI: Vuonna 2018 eri puolilla maailmaa esiintyi useita sään ääri-ilmiöitä. EN: In 2018, several extreme weather events were recorded around the world. NOT 2018 saw several extreme weather events around the world.

DO NOT use spaces (if you can’t use a comma, 2,000; 10,000; 2,000,000 add a non-breaking space (Ctrl + Shift + Space)).

Use commas to group thousands.

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Dates and times Dates are written day-month-year 1 July 2019 (NOT month-day-year). (NOT July 1, 2019) Monday 1 July 2019 (NOT Monday, 1 July 2019) NOTE: if space is restricted, dates are written in the form 1.7.2019 or 1/7/2019. No comma is used with just the month and year. July 2019

The Finnish system of numbering the weeks of NOT weeks 20–21 BUT 16–29 May the year should not be used in English. Instead, dates NOT week 19 BUT the week beginning 9 May should be spelled out. If a particular week is referred to, mention its starting date, usually a Monday.

24-hour clock Use the 24-hour clock. In some situations the 12-hour 9.45, 14.15 clock can be used if it adds clarity (10.30 am). To avoid (NOT 09:45,14:15) confusion in the case of midday, it may be appropriate to write 12.00 noon. FI: ... tilaisuus järjestetään tiedotustilassa keskiviikkona 5.10.2019 klo 10.30–12.00. EN: ... the event will be held in the Government Press Room on Wednesday 5 October 2019 at 10.30–12.00.

FI: Osallistujia pyydetään ilmoittautumaan perjantaihin 1.10. klo 15 mennessä. EN: Please register by 15.00 on Friday 1 October.

FI: Osallistujia pyydetään saapumaan paikalle klo 9 mennessä. EN: Participants should arrive by 9.00.

FI: Tapaaminen on Mäntyniemessä tiistaina 5. kesäkuuta 2019 klo 11. EN: The meeting will be at Mäntyniemi on 5 June at 11.00. 36 37 ENGLISH STYLE GUIDE PUBLICATIONS OF THE PRIME MINISTER’S OFFICE 2019:14, FINLAND

Time spans 1990–1995 Normally written as a range using an ‘en’ dash. from 1990 to 1995 between 1990 and 1995 in the period 1990–1995 during 1990–1995 NOT 1990 – 1995 NOT 1990-95 NOT from 1990-1995 NOT between 1990-1995 NOT in 1990-1995 Do not use an apostrophe in numerical references to 1990s (NOT 1990’s) decades or centuries

For dates, use either an ‘en’ dash or write ‘from’ and FI: 19.–23.11. ‘to’, depending on which flows best in the context. EN: from 19 to 23 November EN: 19–23 November FI: 20.12.2017–8.1.2018 EN: from 20 December 2017 to 8 January 2018 EN: 20 December 2017 – 8 January 2018

A forward slash is used for financial or budget years The report covers the entire budget year 2016/2017. that do not coincide with calendar years and that refer to a period of twelve months or less.

‘2000-luvulla’ can mean the century or the first FI: 2000-luvulla decade; avoid using ‘2000s’ EN: 21st century, the first decade of the century or e.g. the period 2000–2009 FI: 2010-luvulla EN: in the current decade, the second decade of this century or e.g. the period 2010–2019

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Percentages The percentage symbol is written without a space in 31.5% or 31.5 per cent British English. Use the percentage symbol if the text NOT 31,5 % contains lots of figures, except in legislation and in cases such as speeches where the use of the words (per cent) may be preferred by the reader. 30%−40% 30% to 40% between X% and Y% Writing percentages as a range. from X% to Y% NOT 30−40% 30 − 40% 30 to 40% between 30%–40% from 30%–40%

Most of the tariffs are in the 8% to 12% range. The tariffs are set between 8% and 12%. House prices are predicted to drop between 2% and 5% this year. Interest rates increased from 5% to 7%.The price is expected to rise by 3%–5% at the end of the year. The unemployment rate is predicted to edge downwards to 8.1% and the employment rate to rise to 70.3% in 2018. Residents representing at least five per cent of those If ‘per cent’ is written out, then write out the number entitled to vote in a municipality may submit if below 10. a referendum initiative. Forty per cent of the species have seen a drop of 15% in population numbers.

DO NOT start a sentence with a figure; instead, one in three respondents or one out of three respondents spell out the number. NOT every third respondent For Finnish expressions such as ‘joka kolmas vastaaja kyselyssä ...’, follow the example given: the meeting is held every third year or the meeting BUT for ‘kokous pidetään joka kolmas vuosi’: is held once every three years

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Decimals Unlike the Finnish use of decimal commas, English 0.5 uses the decimal point. (NOT 0,5 or .5)

FI: 29,90 euroa EN: EUR 29.90

Ranges The use of dots to denote a range (20…30) is not ages 58–75 an option in English. The meeting is to be held on 12–15 April. We are open 9.00–16.00. Use an ‘en’ dash to denote a range in English. EUR 20–30 million

DO NOT use an ‘en’ dash when the words ‘from’ Copy the section from page 5 to page 20. or ‘between’ are used. Participants should arrive between 9.00 and 9.30.

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6 CURRENCIES, UNITS AND SYMBOLS

Unless otherwise indicated, use the recommendations of the European Commission’s English Style Guide, and use British English.

Currency symbols Use the standard currency (EUR, GBP, USD, etc.). DO NOT use symbols (€, £), unless space is limited.

NOTE: in English, the currency always Under the proposal, the European Union would use comes before the number; add a non-breaking space a total of EUR 22.18 billion for the programme (Ctrl + Shift + Space) before the number. in 2021–2027.

Canadian dollars Names of currencies are written in lower case. Danish kroner

Thousands, For advice on numbers and ranges, see section 5. EUR 50 million millions, Use commas to group thousands. (NOT 50 MEUR) billions Spell out ‘million’ and ‘billion’ and add a non-breaking space (Ctrl + Shift + Space) after the number. Million and billion can be abbreviated if space EUR 50 mill. is limited, such as in tables. EUR 2 bn €50 mill. NOTE miljardi billion (= thousand million) biljoona (= tuhat miljardia) trillion (= thousand billion) triljoona quintillion

Sometimes it may be more appropriate to write out 5,000 euros (NOT 5,000 euro) instead of EUR 5,000, for example in a speech.

DO NOT use MEUR, mio, bio, k, or similar abbreviations.

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Units of measurement Use a non-breaking space (Ctrl + Shift + Space) Consult the European Commission’s English Style between a number and its unit to prevent them falling Guide for more information at on separate lines. https://ec.europa.eu/info/sites/info/files/styleguide_ english_dgt_en.pdf

Use superscript and subscript where appropriate 4 m³, CO2 after first spelling out if necessary.

In connection with units of measurement, It weighs 20 grams. write numbers as figures.

Use a space before units of measurement. 500 metres, 500 m For units of temperatures, do not use a space. 5°C NOTE: in scientific and technical writing, a space is used: 5 °C.

Do not write ‘minus 5 °C’ or ‘plus 5 °C’. The temperatures will rise from –5 °C to 5 °C. Use an ‘en’ dash for minus temperatures. The temperatures will drop from –5 °C to –15 °C over the weekend.

Symbols NOTE: the English symbols for multiplication and FI: 5 x 2 = 10 division are x and ÷ EN: 5 x 2 = 10 FI: 10 : 2 = 5 EN: 10 ÷ 2 = 5

The Finnish § symbol is normally translated in FI: Asian käsittelyssä noudatetaan soveltuvin osin legislation as ‘section’ (NOTE: ‘s’ in lower case) 96 §:n säännöksiä. and in articles of association as ‘article’. EN: The provisions in section 96 shall be complied with, as applicable, in the processing of the matter.

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Numbers with symbols Pay attention to the use of symbols and abbreviations and abbreviations with numbers.

Use a non-breaking space (Ctrl + Shift + Space) between a number and mathematical symbol or unit of measurement: 500 m; 10 ÷ 2 = 5; 2 x 16 = 32.

The per cent sign is closed up to the number: Allegedly, 73.6% of all statistics are made up. 73.6% (NOT 73.6 %).

If the measurement unit is an abbreviation (cm, ml, Some tree species grow by as much as 8 cm in a year. etc.) or a symbol is given, the number is written as a figure.

At the beginning of a sentence, numbers Thirty per cent of the population are over the age of 60 are spelled out. and 20% are under the age of 25. (NOT … the age of 25 years.)

Ten millilitres of solution were added to the sample.

After the solution boils, add 10 ml of distilled water and mix thoroughly.

Figures of 10 or over are written as numbers Of the whole population, 30% are over the age of 60. rather than words. The percentage of the population living in cities is close to 30.

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7 ABBREVIATIONS

Grammar and punctuation Some abbreviations normally take a full stop and number, no. (NOT nr) some do not. If an abbreviation might be confused with a word, use a full stop.

The choice between ‘a’ or ‘an’ depends on whether a UN peacekeeper the abbreviation begins with a vowel sound or not. With a vowel sound, use ‘an’, otherwise ‘a’. an SUV (NOT a SUV)

Acronyms and initialisms An is an abbreviation pronounced as a word, The Member States of the European Union decided and an initialism is an abbreviation in which each yesterday ... separate letter is pronounced. Acronyms do not The has voted against ... usually take a definite article (NATO, REACH, etc.), but initialisms do (the UK, the BBC, the EU, etc.). The World Health Organization (WHO) published its However, established usage may be different, latest recommendations on swine flu. particularly for the names of companies (ICI, IBM, etc.) and universities (UEA, UCL, etc.). the EU, the WHO, OPEC, UNESCO In general, spell out names such as the European Union and the United States when used as nouns; they can be abbreviated (to EU and US) if repeated often or when used as . Acronyms and initialisms should be spelled out in full when first mentioned in a text with the abbreviation in brackets.

While acronyms and initialisms are generally non-governmental organisation (NGO); gross domestic capitalised (BUT e.g. Kela), when written out in full product (GDP); BUT United Nations (UN) the words are not always capitalised. FI: yhteisymmärryspöytäkirja EN: Memorandum of Understanding NOTE: Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) pl. Memorandums of Understanding or Memoranda of Understanding. When using an acronym or initialism in a sentence, avoid repeating words that are included in FI: GPS-järjestelmä the acronym or initialism. EN: GPS (NOT GPS system)

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Finnish acronyms and abbreviations If a Finnish acronym is used, write out the full name The Social Insurance Institution of Finland (Kela) at first mention and add the acronym in brackets, is introducing ... Kela’s funding for 2019 is ... after which the acronym can be used in the text. The Institution will ...

In some cases, the Finnish acronym is not used. The Finnish Environment Institute is ... The Institute will ... (NOT SYKE or FEI) Remember: always check each organisation’s website.

DO NOT abbreviate the English names of Finnish The Ministry of Education and Culture is ... ministries or agencies. The Ministry has ... (NOT MEC)

Where a Finnish acronym is used, English may use FI: henkilötyövuosi (Finnish abbreviation: htv) another solution. EN: person-year

FI: Nato EN: NATO

FI: Diaarinumero (Finnish abbreviation: dnro) EN: Register number (can be abbreviated to: Reg. no.)

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Computer terms Certain ICT terms such as file types, wireless PDF, JPEG, GIF, Wi-Fi, WLAN, WhatsApp connections and apps should be capitalised in English. (BUT internet)

Avoid using trademark names as verbs. ... searched for information on Google (NOT Googled or googled)

... will set up a conference call on Skype; ... make a Skype call (... will Skype or skyped)

United States Normally use ‘Washington DC’, but for work that will FI: ... kokous järjestetään Washingtonissa ... be presented in the US, use ‘Washington, D.C.’. EN: ... the meeting will be organised in Washington DC.

Use ‘the United States’ or ‘the US’ (NOT ‘the USA’). The US citizens most suitable adjectival form is usually ‘US’.

Many US national parks are experiencing high ‘America’ and ‘American’ are acceptable in some numbers of visitors during the summer season. contexts. ‘The States’ should generally be avoided. Note that a singular verb follows in English. The USA has/is ...

United Nations NOTE: the websites of the UN and its agencies are inconsistent in their use of the definite article with abbreviations. You should therefore follow the advice in this Style Guide.

A list of UN affiliated programmes, funds and agencies is available online: https://www.un.org/en/ sections/about-un/funds-programmes-specialized- agencies-and-others/

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Latin abbreviations In formal texts, avoid using abbreviations such as FI: esim. ‘etc.’ in running sentences; instead use ‘and so on’, ‘for EN: e.g. (NOT eg.) example’, ‘for instance’ or other ways to convey the FI: toisin sanoen idea. The abbreviation can be used in brackets. EN: i.e. (NOT ie.)

See Archaic words in section 15. … such as ICT, wood processing, the health sector, educational exports and so on.

Local authorities will be responsible for cooperating across administrative boundaries in training professionals within different sectors (e.g. sports, culture and education).

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8 FOREIGN WORDS AND PHRASES

Unless otherwise indicated, use the recommendations of the European Commission’s English Style Guide, and use British English.

Spelling of foreign words Remember that foreign proper names are sometimes Quran (NOT Qur'an, Koran) spelled differently in English than in Finnish.

See for example Geographical names in section 4 FI: Petroskoi and Russian names below. EN: Petrozavodsk Foreign words (except proper nouns and common Latin phrases such as “ad hoc”) may be italicised if necessary. ISIL NOTE: NOT ISIS, IS, Daesh, Daish, Da’ish When the word ISIS is used in the name of an organisation or a meeting, for example, Al-Qaida do not change it. NOT al-Qaida, al-Qa'ida, al-Qaeda, Al-Qaeda e.g. The Global Coalition to Defeat ISIS.

Russian names Transliteration of some letters from Russian into FI: Aleksei Uljukajev Finnish is different than from Russian into English. EN: Alexei Ulyukayev

Always check the way that the person in question spells their name in English. For example, Sergei Lavrov spells his name Sergei, not Sergey.

Historical names are in some cases spelled differently FI: Nikolai Bobrikov toimi tuolloin Suomen depending on the source (Nikolai/Nikolay). kenraalikuvernöörinä … EN: At the time, Nikolay Bobrikov served as Russian Governor-General in Finland … FI: … mutta hänen seuraajansa kenraalikuvernööri Obolenski siirtyi asumaan taloon. EN: … but the succeeding Governor-General Obolensky took up residence in the house.

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9 PARTS OF SPEECH

Unless otherwise indicated, use the recommendations of the European Commission’s English Style Guide, and use British English.

Nouns: denominalise in English English often uses verbs where Finnish prefers FI: Tämän tutkimuksen toimeksiannossa tilattiin whenever possible nouns. olemassa olevien toimintamallien kehittämisanalyysi. EN: This study was commissioned to create an analysis of existing procedures. See also section on ‘Text cohesion’. or This study was commissioned to analyse existing procedures or This study analyses existing procedures. (NOT This study was commissioned for the creation of an analysis of existing procedures)

Nouns: inanimate agents A non-living thing can perform an action. Figure 13 illustrates … Our results indicate … The meeting decided …

Verbs: tense Tense use often differs between Finnish and English. FI: Muutosprosessi on ollut käynnissä vuosina 2004–2007. EN: The process was under way between 2004 and 2007. (NOT has been under way)

FI: Ministeri XX on ollut ministerinä 2 000 päivää huomenna tiistaina 13. syyskuuta. EN: Tomorrow, on Tuesday 13 September, Minister XX will have served 2,000 days as a minister.

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Verbs: active/passive voice Finnish uses passive constructions more commonly FI: Ulkoministeriön suurlähetystöissä ja than English. The Finnish passive can often konsulaateissa kirjattiin vuonna 2016 noin 55 000 be converted into the active form in English. konsulipalvelua. Use the passive voice sparingly or when there is EN: In 2016, the Foreign Ministry’s diplomatic and a good reason to do so. consular missions abroad handled about 55,000 requests for consular service.

Pronouns: be careful with the pronoun Please note that if you say ‘we discussed the matter FI: Keskustelimme asiasta pääministeri YY kanssa. ‘we’ in translations from Finnish with the prime minister’, it means that you together EN: I discussed the matter with Prime Minister YY. with one or two others discussed the matter with the prime minister. or Prime Minister YY and I discussed the matter. NOT We discussed the matter with Prime Minister YY.

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10 LISTS

Unless otherwise indicated, use the recommendations of the European Commission’s English Style Guide, and use British English.

Clarity Lists and bullet points add to clarity. However, in slide presentations, minimise punctuation.

Harmonisation In general, follow the examples for lists given in The objectives are to: the European Commission Style Guide. −− emphasise a comprehensive approach to conflict prevention Harmonise the first word in lists: either infinitive or −− further develop the participation gerund or noun – not mixed. in the programme −− strengthen the crisis management capacity −− stress the role of the UN in peace mediation.

NOT The objectives are: −− to emphasise a comprehensive approach to conflict prevention −− further developing the participation in the programme −− the strengthening of crisis management capacity −− to stress the role of the UN in peace mediation

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11 LEGAL LANGUAGE

The main source for translations of specific pieces of legislation isFinlex . The multilingual Glossary of Legislative Terms (Lainsäädäntösanasto under Glossaries and Guidance, Prime Minister’s Office, at http://vnk.fi/kaannos-ja-kielipalvelut/sanastot) also provides useful guidance. The main source for EU legislation is EUR-Lex.

Names of acts and decrees The main source for translations of specific pieces of FI: Laki henkilötietojen käsittelystä rikosasioissa ja legislation is Finlex. kansallisen turvallisuuden ylläpitämisen yhteydessä EN: Act on the Processing of Personal Data in Criminal Matters and in Connection with Maintaining National The main source for EU legislation is EUR-Lex. Security

The names of acts and decrees should be written FI: Valtioneuvoston asetus aluksen miehityksestä ja in title case in English. laivaväen pätevyydestä EN: Government Decree on the Manning of Ships and Certification of Seafarers Reference to a numbered article in EU law As laid down in Article 3 … is capitalised.

Pykälä DO NOT use the ‘pykälä’ sign §; use ‘section’ instead. FI: … painelaitelain 72 §:n mukainen … EN: … in accordance with section 72 of the Pressure Equipment Act …

Liite As a rule, use ‘appendix’ (pl. ‘appendices’) … for further reference, see Appendix III of Annex I of in preference to ‘annex’ (pl. ‘annexes’). the Act … NOTE: in translations of Finnish acts and decrees, ‘annex’ should be used for ‘liite’ and ‘appendix’ for ‘lisäys’ (which is an attachment to an annex). NOTE: EU directives have ‘Annexes’. Use ‘attachment’ for a ‘liite’ to an email. Use ‘enclosure’ if included in a letter.

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12 CORRESPONDENCE

Unless otherwise indicated, use the recommendations of the European Commission’s English Style Guide, and use British English.

Advice on formal letter writing Consult Englanninkielinen kirje under Glossaries and Guidance, Prime Minister’s Office, at http://vnk.fi/kaannos-ja-kielipalvelut/sanastot.

Advice on email writing Consult the Presidency Style Guide (Englannin kielen EU2019-tyyliopas) under Glossaries and Guidance, Prime Minister’s Office, at https://vnk.fi/en/glossaries-and-guidance.

Advice on invitations, announcements, Consult Malli-ilmaisuja valtionhallinnon kirjeenvaihtoon englanniksi under Glossaries and Guidance, thank-you letters, etc. Prime Minister’s Office, at http://vnk.fi/kaannos-ja-kielipalvelut/sanastot.

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13 CITATIONS AND REFERENCES

Unless otherwise indicated, use the recommendations of the European Commission’s English Style Guide, and use British English.

Citing references References can be given in footnotes, endnotes or In-text citations: in-text. According to Aho and Sundberg (2010), Finns are generally supportive of voting rights. The results of the survey showed that Finns are generally supportive of voting rights (Aho & Sundberg, 2010). Research on voting showed that in municipal elections people over 40 were more likely to vote (Aho, Sundberg and Lehtinen, 2011). Aho, Sundberg and Lehtinen (2011) found that in municipal elections ... For four or more authors use ‘and others’ in sentences; However, Mäki and others (2012) noted that young people et al. can be used in brackets. under 25 were particularly interested in a bioeconomy. In contrast, people earning more than EUR 80,000 per year showed more concern for Finland’s position in the European Union (Forssberg et al., 2012).

Footnotes: It has long been argued that the Finnish sauna is the best.1 It has long been argued that the Finnish sauna is the best1, although different versions of the sauna are found around the world. 1 John Ahonen, The Perfect Guide to Sauna (Finland Press, 2010), pp. 36–40.

Online references Online sources should include the date, in brackets, http://www.bris.ac.uk/arts/exercises/referencing/ on which the information was accessed. referencing%20skills/page_37.htm (Accessed 26 June 2019)

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14 GENDER-NEUTRAL AND BIAS-FREE LANGUAGE

Unless otherwise indicated, use the recommendations of the European Commission’s English Style Guide, and use British English.

He, she In contexts where the Finnish ‘hän’ covers any gender, Instead of it can often be cumbersome to use ‘he or she’. You can The user should first log in to his or her program. overcome this by using different strategies, such as: consider using −− changing to plural You should first log in tothe program. −− repeating the noun −− reformulating the sentence to avoid the pronoun.

This also applies to legislation, though often it is more appropriate to retain the singular ‘he or she’ or ‘she or he’ (NOT ‘he/she’, ‘s/he’) despite it being cumbersome.

Please, use gender-neutral language. It is always chair, chairperson, cleaner, firefighter, head teacher, preferable to use a term that includes, or at least does police officer, etc. not exclude, women and girls.

Unless there is good reason to use ‘chairman’ FI: Puheenjohtajan lisäksi työryhmän jäsenet ovat … or ‘chairwoman’, use the gender-neutral form EN: In addition to the chairperson, the members of ‘chairperson’ or ‘chair’. the working group are ...

One DO NOT use the pronoun ‘one’ or the generic ‘you’ You to avoid gender-specific pronouns in formal government texts.

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Singular and plural ‘they’ Be aware of gender-neutral language. The use Each child should bring their books on Monday. of singular `they´ has become increasingly common and is acceptable in many contexts.

However, in legislation and other formal texts, avoid Instead of using the singular `they´ and use the plural instead Where a student refuses to undergo the examinations if possible. for ascertaining his or her state of health referred to in section 43b, subsection 1, he or she may be banned from studies until he or she consents to undergo the necessary examinations. consider using Where students refuse to undergo the examinations for ascertaining their state of health referred to in section 43b, subsection 1, they may be banned from studies until they consent to undergo the necessary examinations.

Other bias-free language Take care when using words that might exclude FI: ikääntyvät; ikääntyneet työntekijät or offend people, such as ‘the elderly’ or ‘the EN: older people; ageing employees handicapped’. FI: vanhukset; ikääntynyt EN: the elderly FI: vammaiset EN: people with a disability Do not use ‘gypsy’ or ‘traveller’ for the Roma. FI: romanit EN: the Roma ‘Spouse’ usually refers to a marriage partner FI: Puoliso täyttää kohdan B. whereas ‘partner’ is a more EN: Section B should be filled in by your partner.

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15 TEXT COHESION AND CLARITY

Text flow To improve cohesion in English, add linking words FI: Haluaisin sanoa muutaman sanan Suomessa such as ‘once again’, ‘as regards’, ‘accordingly’, käytössä olevasta mallista ... ‘for this reason’, ‘to this end’ ... EN: In this context, I would like to say a few words about the system ... A range of grammar structures can make the text Once again, I quite agree but, unfortunately, more interesting for the reader: we do not know what will happen with ... −− pronouns (it, this, that, those, etc.) to refer back to That is why I welcome the fact that, something mentioned earlier in spite of everything ... −− synonyms to avoid repetition.

Reverse thinking This means avoiding mechanical translation. Follow FI: Jos sinulla on käynnistymässä tai suunnitteilla the logic of the target language. kokeilu EN: If you are planning or launching ... (NOT ... launching or planning)

FI: Kaikki saamamme palaute on tervetullutta ja tärkeää. EN: Feedback is valuable and most welcome. (NOT ... welcome and valuable)

FI: päätöksenteko ja valmistelu EN: preparation and decision-making (NOT ... decision-making and preparation)

FI: Yhdessä ratkotaan ja pohditaan asioita. EN: We deliberate and solve things together. (NOT ... solve things and deliberate together.)

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End focus It is common in English for the most important Instead of: information in a sentence to be placed at the end. Mobilisation of the emergency teams was initiated by the even before the hurricane made landfall.

write, for example: Even before the hurricane made landfall, the Mayor mobilised the emergency teams.

Theme However, the theme of a sentence is often expressed FI: Sopimukseton ero olisi molemmille osapuolille at the beginning. haitallinen, ja siksi Eurooppa-neuvosto pidensi 22. maaliskuuta Britannian EU-eron päivää 12. huhtikuuta asti. EN: Exiting without an agreement would be detrimental to both sides, which is why, on 22 March, the European Council extended the UK’s EU exit date to 12 April.

This is particularly the case with longer structures, The real problem was the relatively poor turnout in where it is good to introduce the information that the 2014 European elections in many countries and is to follow. the Eurosceptic attitudes of many of the candidates. NOT: The relatively poor turnout in the 2014 European elections in many countries and the Eurosceptic attitudes of many of the candidates was the real problem.

Hyphenation Do not use automatic hyphenation nor use hyphens to break words at the end of a line.

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Noun stacking Noun phrases made up of four or more words can be NOT ... to determine a wide range of data user ambiguous and often need to be broken up for communication needs. the sake of clarity. There may even be more than Does this mean: ... to determine the need for a wide one meaning, in which case it may be necessary range of data communication between users? to consult the writer. Or: ... to determine the communication needs of a wide range of data users? Or: ... to determine the need for communicating data about a wide range of users?

Archaic words Avoid using: Instead of thereafter consider using then, afterwards ... Instead of therein consider using in that, there ... thereafter, therein, aforementioned, insofar as, Instead of thus consider using so, therefore ...… albeit, thus, lest, herein, etc.

Instead of aforementioned report consider using this/that report, the report; NOTE: in some cases the word ‘said’ might be appropriate ...

Also avoid using: In Kela’s texts, ‘daily allowance’ is used for ‘päiväraha’ rather than ‘per diem’. inter alia, i.a., per se, per diem

In EU contexts, inter alia and i.a. are acceptable in quoted material.

Subject-verb agreement Sometimes a singular subject may take a plural verb, The police have responded to the situation. or a plural subject may take a singular verb. This is usually related to whether the subject is considered to be a single entity (e.g. ‘Finnish Customs’) or to Finnish Customs is an efficient organisation. consist of many individuals or parts (e.g. ‘the police’), or where the emphasis is on a particular element of the noun phrase (e.g. emphasis on ‘asylum seekers’ A record number of asylum seekers have left for rather than ‘number’ in the noun phrase ‘record their home country/countries. number of asylum seekers’).

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16 SPEECHES

Useful phrases for speeches To ensure easy readability for the speaker, avoid Instead of tuition fees, use university fees, for example. −− words and sentences that are too long −− words that may involve Instead of internationalisation, −− major pronunciation problems use make something international, for example. −− expressions that may cause the speaker to stumble or hesitate. Instead of EUR 0.5 mill., write half a million euros. Consult Puheiden ilmaisuja under Sanastot ja ohjeet (Glossaries and Guidance), Prime Minister's Office, at https://vnk.fi/en/glossaries-and-guidance.

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17 TRANSLATING PRESS RELEASES

Headline Press release in English often work well Minister Tiilikainen to visit Algeria on trade mission with the tense, except where the on 20–21 November future tense is appropriate. Avoid using articles Minister Virolainen leads trade mission to in the . Government proposes improvements in export financing

Date If space is limited for the date of the press release, 6 December 2019 the month can be written as a number. 6.12.2019 (NOT e.g. 06.12.2019 or 06.12.19) in limited cases 6/12/2019

FI: Ministeri XX osallistuu sihteeristön kokoukseen Amsterdamissa 20.–22.10.2019. EN: Minister XX will participate in the meeting of the Secretariat in Amsterdam on 20–22 October 2019.

Embargo Publication of the press release may be embargoed. FI: Julkaistavissa 14.9. klo 14.00 EN: Embargoed until 14.00 on 14 September FI: Julkaisuvapaa VN:n istunnon jälkeen EN: Embargoed until after the government session

Joint press release A Finnish press release may be headed ‘Ministeriö X FI: Ministeriö X ja ministeriö Y tiedottavat ja ministeriö Y tiedottavat’. EN: Press release NOT Press release by Ministry X and Ministry Y or Joint press release by Ministry of X and Ministry of Y

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Quotation Always use double quotation marks with quoted Minister XX said: “Today’s meeting went well. The speech. Committee will announce its conclusions on Thursday.”

“I, too, have encouraged them to pursue this,” reported Prime Minister Juha Sipilä.

Titles In press releases, when the Finnish gives several titles, FI: oikeustieteen maisteri, kansanedustaja, use only one title, usually the most pertinent one. hallitusneuvos Matti Meikäläinen EN: Matti Meikäläinen, Senior Ministerial Adviser

Concerning new appointments, the person’s FI: Valtiotieteiden maisteri Juha Kuha on torstaina academic qualifications may be given in press 24.11.2019 nimitetty … releases and should normally be translated. EN: On Thursday 24 November 2019, Juha Kuha, M.Soc.Sc., was appointed as …

Inquiries At the end of press releases, there are normally FI: Lisätietoja: contact details under the heading ‘lisätietoja’. This Hallitusneuvos Tiina Turtiainen, sisäministeriö, should be ‘Inquiries:’ (NOT ‘further information’, puh. 050 111 2222 ‘additional information’). EN: Inquiries: Tiina Turtiainen, Senior Ministerial Adviser, Ministry of the Interior, tel. +358 50 111 2222

FI: Lisätietoja: If the subject matter is included in contact details, Erityisasiantuntija Matti Meikäläinen (viisumiasiat), write the subject matter in brackets after the person’s puh. 1234 5678 job title. or (viisumiasiat) Matti Meikäläinen, erityisasiantuntija, tel. 1234 5678 EN: Matti Meikäläinen, Special Adviser (visas), tel. +358 1234 5678

FI: Lisätietoja ministerin ohjelmasta: EN: More information about the Minister’s programme: EN: Read more:

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Name and job title In the contact details at the foot of a press release, FI: Lisätietoja: the job title comes after the person’s name. Hallitusneuvos Tiina Turtiainen, sisäministeriö, puh. 050 111 2222 EN: Inquiries: For information on job titles, consult Virkanimikkeiden Tiina Turtiainen, Senior Ministerial Adviser, kääntäminen englanniksi under Glossaries and Ministry of the Interior, tel. +358 50 111 2222 Guidance, Prime Minister’s Office, at http://vnk.fi/ kaannos-ja-kielipalvelut/sanastot.

Phone number Remember to add country code in the phone number. FI: puh. 050 111 2222 EN: tel. +358 50 111 2222 (NOT tel. +358 (0)50 111 222)

Email Email address formatting: use the same form given FI: [email protected] in the Finnish. EN: [email protected]

FI: john.doe(at)example.com EN: john.doe(at)example.com

Age If the age of a person is mentioned, it is normally FI: Tehtävään nimitettiin 38-vuotias Matti Virtanen. expressed without the word ‘years’. EN: Matti Virtanen, 38, was appointed to the post.

Repetition of name and title In a press release, write out the name and title in full Minister of the Interior Paula Risikko attended ... at first mention, but then start using a shortened Minister Risikko was accompanied by ... On Tuesday, form (even if the source language does not do so). Risikko will also ... He is not expected to ... The summit will be held on 23 and 24 May in Oulu. Prime Minister Juha Sipilä will attend the meeting. “Finland is ... says Prime Minister Sipilä, leader of the Finnish delegation. He emphasised ... “Discussion will continue ...,” says Sipilä who will be ...

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Verb when referring to speaker Where the instances of quoted speech in a Finnish FI: ” ... ”, ympäristöministeri korosti. of direct quotation. press release or news item are followed by different EN: “ ... ,” said the Minister of the Environment. verbs (e.g. korosti/totesi/sanoi ministeri), such variation may not be necessary in English. FI: ” ... ”, luonnehti Britannian pääministeri Theresa Mayn tapaamista. EN: “ ... ,” said the UK Prime Minister Theresa May.

Other ‘9/11’ is so well known as shorthand for the attacks on 11 September 2001 that it can be used in headlines. In text, it could be written out.

‘PM’ can be used in headlines and tweets, but should be spelled out in text.

‘UK’, ‘UN’, ‘EU’ can also be used as abbreviations in headlines and tweets.

Check against delivery FI: muutosvarauksin EN: check against delivery NOT ‘subject to change(s)’

For capitalisation, currency, titles, reference to ministries, etc. see the relevant sections elsewhere in this guide.

Advice for press releases applies to news items, too.

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18 SOCIAL MEDIA AND VIDEO TEXTS

Twitter The maximum number of characters in a tweet FI: is currently 280. #budjettiriihi Kesärannassa ti-ke, PMI @anttirinne tapaa Ranskan presidentti @EmmanuelMacron to, pe @anttirinne ja @LiAndersson Turun Text for tweets should not be copied unedited #eurooppafoorumi’ssa. (e.g. from press releases) without first checking the suitability of verb tenses and shortening EN: the text where possible. Government budget session at Kesäranta Tue–Wed, PM @anttirinne meets French President @EmmanuelMacron Thu, PM @anttirinne and To keep the tweet short, you can omit articles, @LiAndersson at #europeforum in Turku Fri. use abbreviations (such as ‘e.g.’, ‘Mon–Tue’, ‘EU’) and devise compact expressions that may not otherwise be appropriate outside social media.

FI: If the tweet includes an image or video, you Tutustu osallistujien näkemyksiin haasteista should check that the text is consistent with it. http://vnk.fi/kohti-seuraavaa-sataa #Seuraava100 #Suomi100 Twitter account names (e.g. @juhasipila) are EN: the same in Finnish and English, whereas hashtags Find out the participants’ views at http://vnk.fi/kohti- (e.g. #budjettiriihi) only identify tweets that have seuraavaa-sataa #Next100 #Finland100 the same language-specific hashtag. In some cases a corresponding English version of the hashtag may be in use (e.g. for a conference or other event, or a commonly referred to topic such as #Finland100). Otherwise, translate the text of the hashtag as part of the sentence, but omit the symbol (#). If there is a ‘keyword’ list of hashtags at the end of the tweet, these can be left for the communications staff to deal with.

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Other channels, e.g. Instagram, Consult the social media site in question to check Flickr, YouTube, Facebook permitted character lengths and other rules or practices.

Blogs Remember that blogs are informal in style and designed to be readily understood by readers. Use of overly formal language and bureaucratic and jargonistic terminology should usually be avoided or kept to a minimum.

Video texts Texts that are designed to be read in association with a video (e.g. for YouTube or other purposes) are usually subject to time and space constraints. They should therefore be concisely written and checked against the video for relevance and consistency.

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19 GOVERNMENT AND ADMINISTRATION

Valtio ‘valtio’ can refer to state-owned enterprise, state aid, state funding −− state NOT State-owned −− central government BUT the State of Finland −− government −− the Government FI: Tiedot saadaan luovuttaa ainoastaan, jos asianomainen valtio tai kansainvälinen elin −− the Finnish Government varmistaa riittävän tietosuojan tason. −− the Government of Finland EN: Data may only be disclosed if the state −− country or international body in question ensures an adequate level of data protection.

When translating ‘valtio’ as ‘state’, generally use lower case, but capitalise when it FI: Maakuntien toiminta rahoitetaan pääosin could be replaced by the name of a country. valtion rahoituksella ja osaksi palvelujen käyttäjiltä perittävillä asiakasmaksuilla. EN: The activities of counties would be financed mainly NOTE: from central government funds and partly from client See also ‘hallitus’ and ‘valtioneuvosto’ below fees to be collected from the users of services. in this section.

FI: Kampanjassa jo mukana olevat valtiot ja yritykset: … EN: The following Governments and companies have joined the campaign so far: …

FI: Sekä Suomen valtio että alueviranomaiset niin Ruotsin kuin Suomen puolella ovat tukeneet vuodesta 2010 Vaasan ja Uumajan välistä matkustajaliikennettä. EN: The Finnish Government and regional authorities in both Sweden and Finland have subsidised passenger traffic between Vaasa and Umeå since 2010.

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FI: Filippiinit on kulttuurisesti monimuotoinen, noin 7 100 saaresta muodostuva valtio Etelä-Kiinan meren ja Tyynen valtameren välisellä alueella. EN: The Philippines is a country consisting of about 7,100 islands between the South China Sea and the Pacific Ocean.

Julkinen hallinto ‘Valtionhallinto’ is usually translated as ‘central FI: Työ ministeriössä tarjoaa näköalapaikan Valtionhallinto government’, though it is sometimes appropriate valtionhallintoon. Valtion keskushallinto to use ‘central government administration’ or EN: Working at the Ministry provides an excellent ‘state administration’. overview of central government.

‘Julkinen hallinto’ is a wider concept referring to FI: Maakunta- ja sote-uudistuksen myötä Suomen central, regional and local government together julkinen hallinto järjestetään kolmella tasolla, and translated as ‘public administration’ or ‘general jotka ovat kunta, maakunta ja valtio. government’. None of these are capitalised. EN: As a result of the regional government, health and social services reform, Finland’s public administration will be organised at three different levels: municipalities (local government), counties (regional government) and state (central government).

‘Valtionhallinto’ is therefore often used in the sense FI: Julkisen talouden suunnitelman valmistelun of ‘keskushallinto’ or ‘valtion keskushallinto’ yhteydessä keskushallinto ja maakunnat käyvät (= the ministries plus the government agencies neuvottelut ... and public bodies within the administrative branch of each ministry. Strictly speaking, however, in EN: In connection with the preparation of the general administrative terms ‘valtionhallinto’ consists of government fiscal plan, thecentral government three levels: ‘valtion keskushallinto’ (‘central state and the counties will negotiate ... administration’), ‘valtion aluehallinto’ (regional state administration) and ‘valtion paikallishallinto’ (local state administration).

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Hallitus For ‘hallitus’ use ‘the Government’ or ‘the Finnish FI: Hallitus antoi keväällä 2009 eduskunnalle Valtioneuvosto Government’ (NOT ‘Cabinet’), or, in a general sense, selonteon Itämeren haasteet ja Itämeri-politiikka. ‘government’. The same applies to ‘valtioneuvosto’. Koska sen tavoitteet ovat jo monelta osin toteutuneet, valtioneuvosto päätti selonteon päivittämisestä. EN: In spring 2009, the Government submitted to ‘Valtioneuvosto’ is to be understood, on the one Parliament a report entitled Challenges of the Baltic Sea hand, as the body which convenes for the general and on Baltic Sea Policy. As many of its objectives have governing of the country, consisting of the Prime already been achieved, the Government decided Minister and other ministers, and, on the other hand, to update the report. the decision-making body for governmental and administrative matters consisting of the Government plenary session and the ministries. FI: valtioneuvoston toiminnan kehittäminen EN: development of government functions: Capitalise ‘Government’ when FI: Ruotsin hallitus EN: Government of Sweden −− it refers to the ‘valtioneuvosto’ or ‘hallitus’ of a given country or FI: hallituksen esitys EN: government proposal −− it is the head noun in the phrase. FI: valtioneuvoston periaatepäätös EN: government resolution Write ‘government’ in lower case when it is used FI: hallituksen ohjelma −− as a generic word or EN: the Government’s programme −− as a modifier. BUT NOTE: FI: hallitusohjelma EN: the Government Programme ‘Suomen valtio’ can also be translated as ‘the Finnish Government’. (See under ‘valtio’) FI: hallituspuolueet EN: Government parties

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Hallinnonala ‘branch of government’, ‘administrative branch’ FI: Joitakin tehtäviä ja yksittäisiä virastoja on siirretty hallinnonalalta toiselle. EN: Some duties and individual agencies have been A ministry’s ‘hallinnonala’ consists of the ministry transferred from one administrative branch together with the agencies and public bodies under to another. its administration.

FI: Sisäasiainhallinnon hankintaohje NOTE: The translation ‘branch of government’ is usually more appropriate than ‘administrative branch’, EN: Procurement instructions for the Ministry of which can easily sound too narrow. the Interior’s branch of government

‘Administrative branch’ is in any case preferable to ‘administrative sector’ or ‘administrative domain’.

Ulkoasiainhallinto Foreign Service (‘ulkoasiainhallinto’, ‘UH’) covers Foreign Service the Ministry for Foreign Affairs and the Diplomatic the Foreign Service of Finland Service (‘ulkomaanedustustot’, ‘UE’), that is Finland’s diplomatic and consular missions abroad. Foreign service (in lower case): foreign service in general or foreign service of a given country. NOTE: The Ministry for Foreign Affairs is also known as the Foreign Ministry.

Edustusto Consult websites of Finland’s missions abroad at mission; representation; embassy https://um.fi/edustustot

Ministerin arvonimi Consult Arvonimiä ei käännetä under Glossaries and Guidance, Prime Minister’s Office, athttp://vnk.fi/ kaannos-ja-kielipalvelut/sanastot.

Entinen ministeri, FI: Ministeri Per Stenbäck osallistuu …. entinen presidentti EN: Former government minister … FI: … Kokoukseen osallistuu Presidentti Tarja Halonen, … EN: The meeting will be attended by former President Tarja Halonen, …

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Virkamies ‘Virkamies’ is usually translated as ‘public official’ FI: Henkilötietoja pääsevät käsittelemään sivuston (NOT ‘civil servant’ or ‘public servant’). ylläpidosta vastaavat virkamiehet. Valtion virkamies In some cases, ‘government official’, ‘state official’ EN: Personal data can be processed by public officials or ‘public official in central government’ may be responsible for maintaining the website. appropriate.

Viranomainen, Usually translated as one of the following, depending FI: Oikeusministeriö myös tukee ja neuvoo muita viranomaiset on the context: viranomaisia säädösvalmistelun kuulemiseen liittyvissä kysymyksissä. −− the authorities EN: The Ministry of Justice also supports and −− public authorities advises other authorities in questions related to −− the authority for x the consultation practices in law drafting processes. −− the x authority −− government authorities FI: Valtioneuvoston asetuksella säädetään viranomaisesta, jolle vaatimus osoitetaan. EN: Provisions on the authority to which the demand NOTE: Even if ‘viranomainen’ is the singular in Finnish, shall be addressed are issued by government decree. it is sometimes best translated in the plural in English.

FI: Muutoksenhaku sähköturvallisuusviranomaisen NOTE: ‘toimivaltainen viranomainen’ is translated päätökseen as ‘the competent authority’. EN: Appealing against a decision of the Electrical Safety Authority.

FI: Päätöksen tehnyt viranomainen on ylittänyt toimivaltansa. EN: The public authority that made the decision exceeded its powers.

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Puheenjohtajuus Consult the website of the organisation in question. FI: puheenjohtaja/puheenjohtajamaa For guidance concerning Suomen EU-puheenjohtaja- EN: chair, chairperson, chairmanship, presidency Puheenjohtajamaa kausi, see Presidency of the Council of the EU in section 20 below. Puheenjohtaja The Estonian Presidency of the Council of the European Union

John Smith, Chair of the Working Group on Immigration

Työryhmä FI: työryhmä EN: working group, task group, task force, etc.

Kirjaamo (ministeriössä) registry; Registry of the Ministry for Foreign Affairs

EU:n komissio European Commission (NOT EU Commission) Commission (when repeated)

EU:n ulkopuolinen maa ‘Third countries’ is used in EU texts to mean countries The EU negotiates and concludes international outside the EU. If this is unclear from the context, agreements both with non-EU countries and with use a more descriptive phrase. international organisations, such as the WTO or the UN.

Euroalue euro area (NOT euro zone, eurozone, Euro Area)

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20 TOPICAL

Presidency of the Council of the EU For texts relating to Finland’s Presidency, consult the FI: Suomen EU-puheenjohtajuus Presidency Style Guide at https://vnk.fi/en/glossaries- tai and-guidance and IATE at https://iate.europa.eu. Suomen EU-puheenjohtajakausi Use a lower case ‘p’ for general references to the Council presidency, but an upper case ‘P’ for EN: Finland’s Presidency of the Council of the European individual presidencies, e.g. ‘the Latvian Presidency’. Union or EN: Finland’s Presidency of the Council of the EU

Health, social services and For terms related to health, social services and FI: sote- ja maakuntauudistus regional government regional government reform, consult Keskeisiä sote- EN: health, social services and regional government uudistuksen termejä and Suomen hallintorakenteeseen reform (…) ja kuntien nimet under Glossaries and Guidance, Prime Minister’s Office, at http://vnk.fi/kaannos-ja- kielipalvelut/sanastot. FI: sote-uudistus Write ‘health’ before ‘social’ even if in Finnish social is first (except in the name of the ministry: Ministry EN: health and social services reform of Social Affairs and Health). The abbreviation ‘sote’ usually means healthcare FI: maakuntauudistus and social welfare. However, in the context of health and social services reform, the term ‘sote’ is EN: regional government reform often used to refer to the services, i.e. ‘health and social services’. FI: sosiaali- ja terveyspalvelut NOTE: use the term ‘region’ for the current regions in Finland and the term ‘county’ when the text is EN: health and social services about new counties being created as part of regional government reform. However, Ahvenanmaa will be referred to as ‘Åland’ or ‘the autonomous province FI: sosiaali- ja terveydenhuolto of Åland’. EN: healthcare and social welfare

FI: maakunta EN: county

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Brexit The term ‘Brexit’ can be used, but sometimes it is FI: On selvää, että Britannian EU-ero tulee appropriate to spell it out as e.g. ‘the United Kingdom’s muuttamaan Euroopan unionia. United Kingdom’s exit exit from the European Union’ or ‘the United Kingdom’s EN: There is no doubt that Brexit will change from the European Union withdrawal from the European Union’. the European Union.

FI: Käynnissä on neuvottelut erosopimuksesta. EN: Negotiations on a withdrawal agreement are in progress.

The negotiations on the United Kingdom’s exit from the European Union can now proceed to their second phase. The second phase of the UK’s EU exit negotiations will deal with the transition period arrangements.

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21 FREQUENTLY MISUSED OR OVERUSED

Consult Termiselvitykset and Kuukauden termit under Glossaries and Guidance, Prime Minister’s Office, at https://vnk.fi/kaannos-ja-kielipalvelut/sanastot

Edelläkävijä Avoid translating ‘edelläkävijä’ as ‘forerunner’, if FI: Suomi on edelläkävijä monissa asioissa. the context is the present or future, as forerunner EN: Finland is a frontrunner in many things. normally means something that precedes or heralds the arrival of something else. Instead, try: frontrunner, take the lead, leader, lead FI: Digitaalisen talouden osalta Suomen on oltava the way, be at the leading edge, at the forefront, pioneer edelläkävijä. EN: Finland must be at the forefront of the digital economy.

Toimija/taho ‘Actor’ is best avoided; ‘entity’, ‘body’, ‘party’, ‘operator’ FI: Kiitän myös kaikki niitä yksityisiä tahoja ja or ‘those concerned/involved’ can often work well. henkilöitä, jotka ovat antaneet arkistojaan ja (people and/or organisations materiaalia tämän selvityksen käyttöön. It is often preferable to rework the sentence, perhaps involved in doing something) by trying to identify exactly who you are talking EN: I would also like to thank the individuals and about and using that term, such as ‘aid organization’. private associations that provided their own archives and materials for use in the investigation. Alternatives such as ‘player’ can sometimes be used.

Ohjata/ohjaus Avoid translating ‘ohjata’ and ‘ohjaus’ as ‘steer’ or FI: Ohjausryhmän tehtävänä on ohjata suunnitelman ‘steering’, except for established terms such as toimeenpanoa. ‘steering group’ and ‘steering committee’ and when EN: The tasks of the steering group are to oversee the meaning is to physically or metaphorically steer the implementation of the plan. something (e.g. a vehicle or the conversation). Instead, try: guide/guidance, direct/direction, manage/management, oversee/oversight, FI: Viranomaisia ohjataan huolehtimaan tietojen coordinate/coordination, control, ja digitaalisten palvelujen luotettavuudesta, or a combination (e.g. guidance and direction). saatavuudesta ja eheydestä. EN: Authorities are given guidance on how to ensure the reliability, availability and integrity of information and digital services.

FI: Poikkihallinnollinen ja strateginen ohjaus. EN: Cross-administrative strategic guidance and direction. 74 75 ENGLISH STYLE GUIDE PUBLICATIONS OF THE PRIME MINISTER’S OFFICE 2019:14, FINLAND

Lähtökohta Avoid overuse of ‘point of departure’ or ‘starting FI: Lähtökohtana on, että ... point’. Other alternatives, depending on the context, EN: The principle is that ... include: premise, goal, aim, approach, basis. FI: Strategian lähtökohta on ... EN: Our strategy is based on ...

Jatkossa in future (in the meaning of from now on) FI: ”Työn tulee jatkua aktiivisena jatkossakin”, Tulevaisuudessa sanoi pääministeri Sipilä. from now on EN: “This work must remain active in the future too,” moving forward said Prime Minister Sipilä. in coming years will … (future tense) FI: Suomalaiset toivovat itsenaisyyspaivan olevan jatkossakin iloinen, valoisa ja yhteisollinen. in the future (in the meaning of at some point EN: Moving forward, Finns would like Independence in the future) Day celebrations to be cheerful, bright and communal.

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Osuus The Finnish ‘osuus’ is not always ‘share´. FI: Kuiva-aineen osuus tuorepainosta kasvoi toukkakehityksen aikana 20 prosentista 32 prosenttiin. Osuus, in quantitative relations, is usually translated as ‘proportion’ (a part of the whole) or ‘in relation to’. EN: During larval development, dry weight increased in relation to fresh weight from 20% to 32%. Be sure the meaning is proportion and not a ratio. A ratio is the relation between two parts of a whole. FI: Hevostilojen osuus yli 1 ha tiloista (Source and examples: Lääketieteen ja luonnontieteen EN: Proportion of farms of over 1 ha with horses englantia: The Words Between, Jean Margaret Perttunen, Duodecim 2000). The proportion (NOT share) of (NOT from) white rats in the F2 generation was nearly 50%. Sometimes it is best not to translate ’osuus’ directly, but to express it in another way. The ratio of A to B is 1:2. or The ratio of A and B is 1:2. NOT The ratio between A and B is 1:2.

FI: Erityisesti naisten osuus rahoituspalvelujen käyttäjistä on kasvanut. EN: … the number of women using …

FI: Suomen suunniteltu rahoitusosuus on 5 miljoonaa euroa vuosina 2019–22. EN: Finland’s planned contribution is …

FI: Suomen osuus on 7 miljoonaa euroa vuosina 2019–2022. EN: Finland will contribute …

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Kokonaisuus ’Kokonaisuus’ does not usually translate as ’entity’. FI: Tutkintoon johtava kokonaisuus EN: Degree programme

FI: Politiikkakokonaisuus EN: Mix of policies; set of core policies

Kuin, verrattuna Use ‘compare to’ when you mean ‘likened to’. FI: Tutkinnon arvolla oli muunlaiseen työkokemukseen verrattuna oli suuri merkitys. EN: The value of the qualification compared to other forms of work experience was also an important consideration.

In her speech, the Minister compared the recent events to the protests in the 1970s.

Use ‘compare with’ when you want to draw attention FI: Tammikuuhun verrattuna lokakuu on kiireinen to differences and similarities. kuukausi. EN: October is a busy month compared with January.

Muun muassa ‘Muun muassa’ does not always translate as ’among FI: Työryhmän tehtäviin kuuluu muun muassa a, b, c, other things’. Sometimes it can even be omitted. d ja e. EN: The duties of the working group include a, b, c, d and e. Avoid using inter alia as a translation for ‘muun muassa’. FI: Muun muassa toiminnallisilla magneettikuvauksilla … EN: Images produced by methods such as functional magnetic imaging …

FI: Pääministeri puhui mm. inflaatiosta. EN: Inflation was among the issues addressed by the Prime Minister.

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Sekä Often the Finnish ‘sekä’ actually translates as ‘and’ FI: Työryhmä keskusteli tämän vuoden talousarviosta, instead of ‘as well as’. määrärahoista ja menoista sekä verotuloista. EN: The working group discussed this year’s budget, appropriations, expenditure and tax revenue. NOT The working group discussed this year’s budget, appropriations and expenditure as well as tax revenue.

Ali/yli Bear in mind that these two words are translated in under; less than; below / over; more than; above different ways depending on the context.

Vähän/suuri Bear in mind that these two words are translated in slight; little; small / large; big; great different ways depending on the context.

Rauhanvälitys Often ‘mediation’ is more appropriate than FI: Suomi, joka toimii Turkin kanssa YK:n ‘peace mediation’. rauhanvälityksen ystäväryhmän puheenjohtajana, sitoutuu lisäämään rauhanvälityspyrkimysten näkyvyyttä ja tuomaan rauhanvälityksen YK:n rauhantyön keskiöön. EN: Finland, as co-chair with Turkey of the UN Group of Friends on mediation, commits to enhance the visibility of mediation efforts and to bring mediation to the core of UN peace work.

Kansalainen Suomen kansalaiset can be translated as ‘Finnish FI: Vähintään viisi vuotta pysyvästi Britanniassa citizens’, but other translations often work better: asunut Suomen kansalainen voi rekisteröidä ‘Finnish nationals’, ‘citizens’, ‘people’, ‘people pysyvän oleskeluoikeutensa (‘permanent residence in Finland’, ‘the general public’. document’). EN: Finnish nationals who have been living permanently in the UK for at least five years can apply for a permanent residence document.

FI: organisaatiot ja kansalaiset EN: organisations and private individuals

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Puoliso Remember that ‘spouse’ normally means FI: Puoliso täyttää kohdan B. a husband or wife (= aviopuoliso) and excludes EN: Section B should be filled in by yourpartner . unmarried partners (= avopuolisot). If the term covers both, then the word ‘partner’ is appropriate.

-tunnus Henkilötunnus code Y-tunnus business identity code or business ID

Ammattikorkeakoulu university of applied sciences (NOT UAS)

Romanit, Terms such as ‘gypsy’ and ‘traveller’ are no longer FI: romanit saamelaiset used for the Roma. EN: the Roma FI: romani (kieli) EN: Romani language FI: romaniasiat EN: Roma affairs http://www.romanit.fi/in-english/

FI: romanien oikeudet ja asema EN: the situation and rights of the Roma

FI: saamelaiset EN: the Saami, the Saami people FI: saamen kieli (kielet) EN: Saami, the Saami language(s)

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22 USEFUL LINKS

FINLAND

Government Termbank https://mot.kielikone.fi/mot/valter/netmot.exe?UI=fi80

Sanastot ja ohjeet / Glossaries and Guidance http://vnk.fi/kaannos-ja-kielipalvelut/sanastot https://vnk.fi/en/glossaries-and-guidance

EU

European Commission’s English Style Guide https://ec.europa.eu/info/sites/info/files/styleguide_english_dgt_en.pdf https://ec.europa.eu/info/sites/info/files/styleguide_english_dgt_country_compendium_en.pdf

EU – Interinstitutional style guide – links to useful pages on the right http://publications.europa.eu/code/en/en-000100.htm

European Commission / Guidelines for contractors translating into English http://ec.europa.eu/translation/english/guidelines/en_guidelines_en.htm

Euroopan unionin neuvoston EU-sanasto englanti–suomi / European Council's EU glossary, Finnish–English https://www.consilium.europa.eu/media/40037/eu-sanasto-englanti-suomi.pdf

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INTERNATIONAL

OECD Style Guide https://www.oecd.org/about/publishing/OECD-Style-Guide-Third-Edition.pdf

United Nations Editorial Manual http://dd.dgacm.org/editorialmanual/

United Nations Correspondence Manual http://archive.unu.edu/hq/library/resource/UN-correspondence-manual.pdf

UK

University of Oxford Style Guide http://www.ox.ac.uk/public-affairs/style-guide

Style guide – Cabinet Office https://gcs.civilservice.gov.uk/wp-content/uploads/2016/11/6.2169_CO_CP_Style-Guide_v9web.pdf

Government digital services – style guide https://www.gov.uk/guidance/style-guide

How to publish on gov.uk https://www.gov.uk/guidance/how-to-publish-on-gov-uk https://www.gov.uk/guidance/style-guide/a-to-z-of-gov-uk-style

Inside GOV.UK: What to check before you publish https://insidegovuk.blog.gov.uk/2014/05/29/what-to-check-before-you-publish-a-2i-checklist/ https://insidegovuk.blog.gov.uk/2014/02/14/content-quality-spot-checks-explained/

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US/CANADA

Harvard Style Referencing https://www.library.usyd.edu.au/subjects/downloads/citation/Harvard_Complete.pdf http://libweb.anglia.ac.uk/referencing/harvard.htm

Canadian Translation Bureau, Parliament of Canada http://www.btb.termiumplus.gc.ca/tpv2guides/guides/wrtps/index-eng.html?lang=eng

MEDIA

Guardian and Observer style guide https://www.theguardian.com/guardian-observer-style-guide-a

The Telegraph Style book http://www.telegraph.co.uk/topics/about-us/style-book/1435307/Telegraph-style-book-Aa.html

BBC News style guide https://www.bbc.co.uk/academy/en/collections/news-style-guide# https://www.bbc.co.uk/academy/en/articles/art20131010112740749

Reuters Handbook of journalism http://handbook.reuters.com/?title=The_Reuters_Style_Guide

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LANGUAGE

Plain language http://www.plainenglish.co.uk/how-to-write-in-plain-english.html

Linking words http://www.bbc.co.uk/worldservice/learningenglish/flatmates/episode64/languagepoint.shtml Plain Language in Government Writing, page 65 (transition words)

How to write clearly (PDF) http://bookshop.europa.eu/en/how-to-write-clearly-pbHC3010536/

Gender-neutral language http://digitalcommons.law.ggu.edu/cgi/viewcontent.cgi?article=1010&context=pubs

Academic Phrasebank http://www.phrasebank.manchester.ac.uk

INSTITUTE FOR THE LANGUAGES OF FINLAND (KOTUS) https://www.kotus.fi/julkaisut/nimijulkaisut/maat_paakaupungit_ja_kansalaisuudet http://kaino.kotus.fi/maidennimet/index.php?h=fi

COUNTRY NAMES https://www.gov.uk/government/uploads/system/uploads/attachment_data/file/654911/FCO_country-names.csv

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INDEX

# 65 B % 12, 39, 43, 77 € 11, 41 Baltic States 34 § 13, 42, 52 bias-free language 55, 56 °C 42 billions 11, 41 24-hour clock 11, 37 blogs 66 brackets 22, 26, 44, 45, 47, 54, 62 Brexit 74 British English 11, 16, 17, 24, 39 A budget years 38 bullet points 51 abbreviations 11, 22, 41, 43, 44, 45, 46, 47, 64, 65, 73 abbreviations (grammar and punctuation) 44 abbreviations (with numbers) 43 Academic Phrasebank 84 C academic qualifications 12, 29, 62 acronyms 12, 44, 45 capitalisation 12, 13, 17, 25, 26, 27, 28, 35, 44, 46, 52, 67, 68, 69 active/passive voice 50 chair 55, 72 acts and decrees 13, 26, 52 check against delivery 64 administrative 13, 15, 28, 31, 35, 68, 69, 70 citations and references 54 administration 67, 68, 70 clarity 15, 16, 17, 18, 37, 51, 57, 59 age/aged/ages 20, 40, 43, 56, 63 colon 17, 19 American English 23, 24, 46 comma 17, 18, 19, 22, 36, 37, 40, 41 annex 52 company names 12, 44, 46 apostrophe 23, 38 compared to/with 78 appendix 25, 52 compass points 13, 35 archaic words 47, 59 compound words 13, 20, 21 Arctic 25, 27 computer terms 24, 46 articles (a, an, the) 26, 44, 46, 61, 65 contact details 13, 62, 63 articles (in EU law) 26, 52 contractions 17 articles of association 42 cooperation 13, 20 arvonimi 29, 70 correspondence 53, 82 countries 27, 31, 34, 67, 70, 72, 84 currencies 11, 41 currency symbols 41

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D Finnish honorary titles 12, 29, 30 Finnish place names 13, 31, 35 dashes 11, 19, 23, 38, 40, 42 footnotes 54 dates 11, 37, 38, 54, 61 foreign service 30, 70 decades 11, 23, 38 foreign words and phrases 12, 25, 47, 48 decimals 40 forerunner 75 decrees 13, 26, 52 formatting 11, 13, 63 degree 29, 62, 78 forward slash 23, 38 denominalise 49 fractions 20 diaarinumero 45 full stop 12, 17, 35, 44 direct speech 13, 22, 23, 64 directives 26, 52 documents 15, 26 G gender 28, 55, 56, 84 E gender-neutral language 55, 56, 84 geographical names 13, 25, 31, 35, 48 edelläkävijä 75 Glossaries and Guidance 13, 16, 29, 52, 53, 60, 63, 70, 73, 75, 81 edustusto 70 Glossary of Legislative Terms 13, 16, 52 eGovernment 13, 20 government 12, 25, 67, 68, 69, 70, 71, 73 email 13, 20, 52, 53, 63 government texts 15, 34, 55, 67 embargo 61 Guide to Translating Finnish Statues into English and Treaties into Finnish 16, end focus 58 52 entinen 70 e-services 13, 20 EU – Interinstitutional Style Guide 81 EU-puheenjohtajuus 73 H euroalue 72 European Commission’s English Style Guide 11, 15, 16, 27, 42, 81 hallinnonala 70 exclamation mark 22 hallitus 69 hallitusneuvos 30, 62, 63 harmonisation of lists 51 hashtag 65 F he, she 55, 56 heading 17, 19, 62 Finlex 13, 16, 26, 52 headlines 61, 64 Finnish acts and decrees 13, 26, 52 healthcare 13, 20, 73 Finnish Government Termbank Valter 16 henkilötunnus 80

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henkilötyövuosi 45 L honorary titles 12, 29, 30 honorifics (Mr, Ms) 12, 28 Lainsäädäntösanasto 13, 52 hyphen 13, 20, 21, 58 language 11, 17, 52, 55, 56, 57, 66, 80, 84 hyphenation 13, 21, 58 Latin abbreviations 47 Latin plurals 25 legal texts 13, 16, 22, 39, 42, 52, 55, 56 legislation 13, 16, 39, 42, 52, 55, 56 I letter writing 52, 53 liite 52 inanimate agents 49 linking words 17, 57, 84 initialisms 12, 44 lists 36, 51 inquiries 13, 62, 63 lisätietoja 13, 62, 63 internet 12, 25, 46 long sentences 15, 17, 58, 60 lower case 25, 27, 34, 41, 42, 67, 69, 70, 73 lähtökohta 76

J jatkossa 76 job title 12, 28, 29, 30, 62, 63 M joint press release 61 mathematical symbols 12, 43 julkaisuvapaa 61 measurements 12, 42, 43 jäsenvaltiot 27 Member States 27, 34 millions 11, 40, 41 ministries 12, 27, 45, 68, 69 Mr or Ms 12, 28 K municipalities 35, 68 muun muassa 78 kansalainen 79 muutosvarauksin 64 key points 16 kirjaamo 72 kokonaisuus 78 komissio 72 kuin 78 N names 11, 12, 13, 19, 26, 27, 28, 31, 35, 41, 44, 45, 46, 48, 52, 65 names and titles 28, 29, 62, 63 neuvos 12, 13, 29, 30, 62, 63 non-breaking space 12, 36, 41, 42

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noun stacking 59 Q nouns 20, 44, 49, 51, 55, 59, 69 numbers 11, 12, 20, 36, 37, 39, 41, 42, 43, 44, 45, 59, 61, 77 question mark 22 quick reference guide 11 quotation 17, 23, 62, 64 quotation marks 23 O ohjata/ohjaus 75 online 13, 20, 46, 54 R organisations 11, 12, 24, 27, 28, 35, 44, 45, 48, 72, 75 osuus 77 ranges 11, 19, 38, 39, 40 rauhanvälitys 79 references 26, 27, 52, 54, 73 repetition 44, 57, 63, 72 P reverse thinking 57 romanit 56, 80 parts of speech 49 Russian names 48 passive voice 50 percentages 12, 39, 43, 77 periods of time 38 phone number 13, 63 S place names 19, 31, 35 plurals 25, 28, 56, 59, 71 saamelaiset 80 PO Box 13 sekä 79 postilokero 13 semicolon 17 presidency 53, 72, 73 singular ‘they’ 56 press releases 12, 29, 61, 62, 63, 64, 65 social media 65, 66 programme 24, 46, 69, 78 sosiaali- ja terveyspalvelut 73 pronoun ‘we’ 50 sote-uudistus 73 pronouns 18, 50, 55, 57 sources of reference 13, 16, 52, 54, 73 proper names/nouns 12, 13, 17, 26, 35, 48 speeches 22, 39, 41, 60 puheenjohtaja 55, 72, 73 spelling 11, 24, 31, 48 puheenjohtajamaa 72, 73 spouse 56, 80 punctuation 17, 44, 51 state 12, 27, 34, 44, 46, 67, 68 puoliso 56, 80 style guides 11, 15, 16, 24, 42, 53, 63, 73, 81, 82, 83 pykälä 13, 52 subject-verb agreement 59 subscript 12, 42 superscript 12, 42

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Swedish names 35 V symbols 11, 12, 41, 42, 43 Säädösten kääntäminen englanniksi ja valtiosopimusten suomentaminen 52 valtio 27, 67, 68, 69, 71 valtioneuvosto 69 verb tenses 49, 61, 65, 76 verbs 15, 46, 49, 50, 59, 61, 64, 65, 76 T verrattuna 78 video texts 65, 66 tense 49, 61, 65, 76 viranomainen 71 termbank 16, 81 vähän 79 termiselvitykset 75 text cohesion 57 text flow 38, 57 theme of a sentence 58 W thousand 11, 36, 41 time spans 38 weeks 11, 37 times 11, 37, 38 wellbeing 13, 20 titles 12, 26, 28, 29, 30, 52, 62, 63 working group 27, 55, 72, 78, 79 titles of documents 17, 26, 52 writing out numbers 36, 43 toimija 75 trademark names 46 translating/translation 11, 12, 13, 15, 16, 26, 29, 30, 34, 42, 50, 52, 57, 61, 62, 65, 67, 68, 69, 70, 71, 75, 77, 78, 79, 81, 83 Y truncations 17 years 20, 23, 24, 36, 37, 38, 39, 43, 45, 63, 76 tulevaisuudessa 76 yli 79 tweets 65 työryhmä 72

U ulkoasiainhallinto 70 United Kingdom 12, 32, 34, 74, 82 United Nations 12, 44, 46, 82 United States 12, 44, 46, 83 units of measurement 12, 42, 43 useful links 16, 24, 35, 81

88 89 MY NOTES For the fact is that words play an enormous part in our lives and are therefore deserving of the closest study.

Aldous Huxley

91 SNELLMANNINKATU 1, HELSINKI PO BOX 23, 00023 GOVERNMENT, FINLAND Tel. +358 295 16001 vnk.fi/en [email protected]

ISBN PDF 978-952-287-671-3 ISBN print 978-952-287-672-0 ISSN PDF 2490-1164 ISSN print 2490-0796